


Ain't No Sunshine

by s_u_n_b_i_r_d



Category: Xiaolin Showdown (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Orpheus and Eurydice (Hellenistic Religion & Lore) Fusion, Americana, Dark AU i guess?, Does this count as a song fic? I guess it does, Gen, Mythology References, psychopomp
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-24 19:19:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 25,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17710067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/s_u_n_b_i_r_d/pseuds/s_u_n_b_i_r_d
Summary: How far would you go to save someone you're supposed to hate? It's a hard question for anyone, let alone a certain unbalanced teenager who dreams of world domination. But when Jack Spicer makes a grave mistake and accidentally sends an old nemesis straight down to the Underworld, he and his new "friend" will have to come up with a good answer for that age-old riddle before time runs out for the Dragon of the Earth.And way down we go.





	1. In The Summer Breeze

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea why I'm writing this, but I will say this - I like myths, Southern music, American superstitions, and Xiaolin Showdown. so i guess this is what happens when you mix all those things up. Enjoy the ride, I guess, and as always, thanks for reading!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a cold black sun  
> Burnin' way down low  
> Where the bird don't sing  
> And the wind don't blow  
> You can shut your eyes  
> You can curse and spit  
> But you're gonna fall down now, baby, into that pit
> 
> \----------

On the day the earth swallowed the sun, Jack Spicer raced through a crumbling labyrinth in Greece like the Devil himself was at his heels.

"Stupid - Xiaolin - LOSERS!" he panted, rounding a corner and groaning in frustration at the dead end that awaited him. He glared at the vines and the moss that covered the dark stone, almost mocking him in their unyielding silence, and pounded his fist into the nearby wall. He immediately regretted his decision, yelping in pain as tears welled up at the corner of his eyes. "Why," he asked, as he clutched his hand to his chest, "WHY can't you just let me have _one_ victory! **ONE!** That's all I'm asking for!"

"No can do, Spicer!" said a familiar voice from the other side of the labyrinth wall. 

Moving slowly but steadily through the ancient maze, Clay Bailey ran into his own dead end. Taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly to maintain his calm, he turned around, winding a long spool of thread back up as he did so. He followed the string back to the four-way intersection he had just been through and made a left instead of a right. "Nothing personal, Jack," he called out amiably as he looked up at the thick trees that blocked out the daylight above him. "But we ain't about to let the Call of Hades fall into the hands of anyone on the Heylin side, and that includes you."

"I didn't ask for your commentary, you stupid hick!" hissed Jack as he tripped over a tree root. He pulled himself up, limping a little from the ache in his knee and making his way through the mist. "And besides, what's one Wu compared to the literal hundreds of others you own?! What's so important about this one?! What does the Call of Hades even do, anyways?!"

"You don't wanna know!"

"That's the lamest answer you could possibly give, and you know it!"

"Cry me a river, city boy!"

Jack spat out one last insult that made the Dragon of Earth see red before the two fell back into a tense, desperate silence as they ran through passageway after passageway. Jack made his way through twisting, winding corridors thick with the smell of soil and forest life, occasionally trying to start up his helipack. But it was futile. Something about this place had rendered all his tech completely useless. The air around him was thick with magic, old and powerful. It must have been strong, for it had also done something to Clay's own powers over the earth. No matter how hard he tried to command the rocks, the dirt and the ground beneath his feet, the familiar thread that had connected him to his own Xiaolin element was severed. Clay bit his lip at the thought of his fellow Dragons trying to find their way through the shadows and the mist, all three of them just as helpless as him.

Jack tried to keep a stiff upper lip as an owl hooted ominously over his head, but it was hard to stay focused and strong in a place like this. The walls around him seemed to close in sometimes, and widen out at others. He could almost SWEAR he could see them breathing. If that weren't enough, the paths he raced through seemed to shift and change, sometimes leading him this way, sometimes that way. The whole point of a maze was to get someone disoriented and mixed up so they couldn't figure out which way they had first came in, but there were times he'd make his way back to an intersection and there would be one more, or one less, tunnel than there was before. 

This labyrinth was alive.

Jack paused in his steps, horror over taking him for a brief, awful second before he shook the thought away and kept going. _Get ahold of yourself, Jack!_ he thought, as he hopped over a fallen statue of a dryad. Magic may have been his daily reality for the past three years, but there was still a natural order to things. Walls didn't breathe, stone couldn't move on its own, and locations didn't think for themselves. This stupid maze was just a big, overblown obstacle that was standing between him and another step closer to world domination. Nothing more, nothing less.

And as he told himself this over and over as he walked through the darkness, he almost believed it.

Jack soon found himself at another crossroads, with six identical tunnels. He looked around, apprehensive, trying to figure out which way to go next until he realized that something could be heard faintly over the steady sound of crickets and other creatures of the night. Birdsong, sweet and calming, called out to him from one path to his left, and though he normally hated anything that reminded him about mornings, relief began to flood his senses, and he followed the sound into the tunnel.

The chirps and tweets grew louder, and he picked up speed when he saw something golden - sunlight, thank God! - glimmering up ahead. He rounded one last corner, and found himself in a beautiful clearing. Wildflowers littered the landscape, perfuming the air with their scent, and he could hear the musical trickle of a stream somewhere nearby. Butterflies danced through the air, one landing on his shoulder for a brief moment before he hastily brushed it away and walked through a grove of trees heavy with fruit. His eyes darted back and forth as he marched through the grass. Something about this place seemed a little _too_ innocent, too peaceful after the ominous shadows of the labyrinth. Jack swallowed as he walked, half-expecting to see something - a minotaur, or maybe harpies - pop out from behind the nearest flowering bush.

But nothing happened.

Finally, something caught his eye. In the center of the clearing, a huge pomegranate tree waited at the top of a small hill, fruit like giant rubies sparkling in the sun. He walked toward it, compelled by something - instinct, perhaps - and his heart skipped a beat when he saw a single hole in the trunk calling out to him. He reached a hand inside and pulled out -

"Spicer!"

Jack froze in his tracks, and looked over his shoulder. "Should have seen it coming," he muttered bitterly, as his hand closed over something small, metal and cold. He turned to look at Clay, standing at the bottom of the hill with determination blazing in his blue eyes. Jack groaned dramatically, rolling his eyes. "What, I can't even have a moment alone without you breathing down my neck, you big lug?! Can't an evil boy genius catch a break?!"

"Put a sock in it, Spicer!" spat Clay as he marched up the hill. As he came closer, Jack could see small tears in his clothes and scratches all over his arms from the thorny vines in the labyrinth, and his boots and jeans were smeared with mud. "It's been a _heck_ of a long day, so just take your lickin' like a man, let us grab the Wu, and go on home!"

Jack barked out an overconfident laugh, his face glowing with a smug, obnoxious grin as he held the Wu behind his back. "I gotta hand it to you, Clay!" he said. "You've got guts to go up against me when I'm the only one with a weapon!"

"What are you....?" The fierce look on Clay's face disappeared as Jack slowly pulled something out from behind his back, wiggling it back and forth with a smirk on his face. "No," he whispered.

A small, silver whistle glittered in the sunlight as Jack lazily twirled it around in his fingers, ignoring the way it seemed to burn his fingertips. "What was that about me "taking a lickin'," Country Mouse?" he taunted, chuckling as he basked in the rare feeling of having the upper hand.

Clay's lips stretched into a thin, tight line, and he swallowed nervously before speaking in a trembling voice. "Jack, y-you gotta put that down."

"Hmm," said Jack, rubbing his chin and making a big show of thinking it over before he shrugged. "No, don't think so."

"Jack," said Clay, his voice rising as he took a careful step towards the redhead, "This ain't no gotdang game! Put the Wu down now, before you regret it!"

Jack blinked, caught off guard by the unmasked terror in Clay's voice. He looked down at the innocent little whistle in his hands, running his thumb over the intricate engravings of dogs all along the sides. From somewhere over his head, a crow cawed out, its harsh sound echoing throughout the peaceful meadow. Finally, Jack turned to Clay, and smiled. "You know what, Bailey? You're right."

Relief flickered across Clay's face, and a small smile begin to lift the corners of his mouth. 

But then Jack brought up his arm, and his eyes widened as the other boy's smile twisted into a mocking grin. 

"You're right, Clay," said Jack again. "It _has_ been a long day." He brought the whistle up to his mouth. "So let's get this over with!"

 **"Jack, _don't!"_** cried Clay, stumbling over his feet as he rushed to stop him, but it was already too late.

 **"Call of Hades!"** shouted Jack, and the Wu in his hand glowed gold with power as he brought it to his lips, closed his eyes and blew as hard as he could.

The birds overhead stopped singing.

Silence. Silence was all that met Jack's ears as he blew, and blew, and blew, until his cheeks were tomato red and he was dizzy from the sheer exertion. But no sound came out from the whistle in his hands. He finally stopped, struggling to catch his breath as he stared at the Wu. Clay stared at him, eyes flicking around nervously before creeping closer to Jack. Jack paid no attention, bringing the Wu to his lips again and blowing into it a few more times, desperate to make a sound. But there was still nothing but bone-chilling silence. "Aw, come on!" he whined, blowing into it one last time. "You're kidding me!"

Suddenly, he noticed Clay standing right beside him, looking at him like he had grown an extra head. Jack's eyes became wide as saucers, and he drew in a long, long breath. " _O-kaaaaaaayyyyyy_ ," he breathed out as he pocketed the Wu and turned to face Clay. "...Welp," he said in a tight, oddly cheerful voice. "I know when I'm beat." He held his arms out and closed his eyes for the beating that was sure to ensue. "Go nuts, Bailey."

Clay blinked at him, but before he could speak, something strange caught his eye. A single snowflake, small, fluffy, and perfect, flew by his face, carried through the air by a strange breeze. He turned to look at it, rubbing his eyes in disbelief, before he saw another, then another, blowing past him like the first snowfall in December. He turned around to see where they were coming from, not even noticing the way his breath was starting to come out in a fine, silver fog. The thicket of trees that surrounded them had grown darker somehow, a cold wind blowing through the leaves and causing them to turn brown and shrivel up, falling to the ground as a layer of frost crept over the grass.

"Uh, Bailey?" said Jack, opening one eye, and looking around. He saw Clay, frozen in disbelief, and marched over to him, waving his hand in front of his face. "Hello? Just kick my butt so I can go home al-"

And then Jack's words were interrupted by a single, long howl.

The sound, low and mournful, resonated through their bones and sent chills up their spines. Jack, finally not thinking about himself for once, looked around incredulously as he realized how cold the meadow had gotten, eyes widening at the frost and the snow and the leaves that continued to rain down around them. His heart started to race as another howl echoed through the air, followed by others, and soon, the air was full of the cries of wild beasts, surrounding them from all sides. Jack and Clay crept closer to each other, starting to shiver from the cold, both coming to a frightening realization at the same time - 

They were being watched. 

Eyes began to appear in the darkened woods, empty and soulless, bright like candle flames but with none of the warmth. They glowed like fireflies all around them, and Jack soon lost count of just how many pairs of eyes there were as he began to shake with terror, teeth chattering as another gust of wind blew out of the wintery wood.

"Spicer."

A soft Southern drawl broke Jack out of his panic, and he looked over to Clay, standing beside him. His eyes were transfixed on the sight of several dark, shadowy beasts beginning to edge their way out of the thicket, the skin under his freckles as pale as milk. "Take my hand, and back away _real. Slow."_

"Oh what a g-g-great plan, B-Bailey," stuttered Jack nervously, his breath leaking out of his mouth like a mist as the things that crawled through the fog begin to growl. "Hold hands and get the Heck out of dodge. Brilliant. You're an absolute genius, you k-know that?"

"Jack, this ain't the time for your games," hissed Clay, reaching over and taking Jack's clammy, sweaty hand in his own before the other could say anything. " _Shut up,_ stay close, and get ready to run."

But neither of them even got the chance.

The two stiffened at the sound of something right behind them growling, loudly, and the two turned to see that the shadow under the pomegranate tree had darkened to a deep, endless black. And something - no, _several things_ \- were crawling out of it. 

The two teenagers watched in horror as the shapes that grew out of the shadows began to contort into dogs, but like no dogs either had seen before. Some of them had two heads, while others had five mouths, or tails that ended in forks. One in particular had eyes all over its body like shining, bulbous blisters, and another had three long horns poking out of its head. The one closest to Jack seemed to be missing the flesh on his face, the white bone of its skull exposed for all to see. They twitched constantly like they were in pain, their eyes bright and feral, dark drool leaking out of their mouths and onto the grass with a soft, acidic hiss.

 **"Spicer-"** said Clay, but he was interrupted by a set of monstrous, hungry jaws sinking their teeth into his shoulder from behind. 

"AGH!" Clay screamed in pain and fell to the ground, letting go of Jack's hand in the process, and around them, the demon hounds raced out of the woods and rushed at them like the fury of Hell itself.

Jack squealed like a terrified pig, turning around to run, but no matter where he looked, he was met with a horde of hellhounds coming his way. Running out of options, he curled himself up into a little ball, whimpering like a kitten. But there were no teeth tearing into his skin, just the feeling of the beasts rushing past him, swift as a winter storm. He opened his eyes, reeling in surprise at the fact that every last hellhound was racing past him, and he turned around to see where they were headed.

His heart dropped at what he saw.

They had all descended on Clay, some nipping at his legs, others chomping onto his arm and dragging him along. They nudged and pulled and pushed him this way and that, giving him no way to escape and no time to defend himself or put up any kind of fight as the horde of shadows and snapping jaws made their way to the center of the clearing. The ground began to crumble away, and soon, Jack saw a deep, dark chasm where a beautiful spring meadow once was, wide and gaping like a hungry mouth. Clay looked over his shoulder, and as he caught sight of it, he began to panic. Shaking his head in fear, his adrenaline took over and he slammed his foot down on the skull of a hellhound with a sickening crack and vaulted over to a clear patch of grass, racing for freedom. But he didn't make it far before one of the hounds caught him by the leg and began to drag him back, others following suit.

"No!" yelled Clay, as he tried to shake them off, but they only held tighter, their teeth sinking in deeper until he could swear they reached bone, and the smell of his own blood began to fill his nostrils. _"Let me go!"_ Looking around for something, anything, to save him, he met eyes with Jack, staring at him in terror with the Call of Hades still in his hand. Clay struggled to move his arm, but he finally pulled it free, and he reached out to Jack, his voice rising from desperation and agony. _"Spicer! **SPICER!"**_

Jack stepped forward, his instincts pushing past his fear for one brief and beautiful second, but a growl to his left stopped him dead in his tracks. He looked over and met the gaze of a single hellhound, bigger than the others, glaring back at him with a single, bulging eye above two stitched-up eye sockets. His growl grew more aggressive, and Jack immediately took a step back. That seemed to satisfy the beast, and it sniffed the Wu in his hands, snorted in disgust, and looked Jack up and down with disdain one last time before it ran to join the rest of his pack. 

"Jack?!" cried Clay, his stomach sinking at the hesitation in the other boy, but then he felt himself being pulled back and falling, falling into darkness, into a pit of snarling voices and hungry mouths and sharp, monstrous teeth- ** _"JACK!"_ **

And then the earth closed its mouth, and everything went dark.

\----------

"Clay!"

Kimiko ran through the corridors of the labyrinth, following the strand of thread that Clay had brought with him to Greece earlier that morning. She had laughed at it then, convinced that her tech would work better as a way to get them through the maze, but in her mind she thanked him over and over as she followed it out into sunlight, desperate to find someone, anyone else, after wandering the labyrinth for so long. She burst through the entrance to freedom, beaming like a sunrise. "Clay, I'm so sorry, you were right, I-"

Her enthusiasm flickered away like a dying flame as she took in the sight of the snow-covered meadow all around her.

Kimiko walked through the snow, holding her arms around her tight and shivering slightly as she gazed at the bare branches of the trees incredulously, watching the snowflakes rain down from the sky silently. It was May. In GREECE. What was going on? 

"Hello?" she called out, unnerved by the sheer silence that surrounded her, broken only by the sound of her feet crunching through the snow. "Clay?" She stumbled over something, and he blinked down at her feet to see what it was. A pile of apples lay under a now-empty tree, littering the ground like forgotten memories, black and rotting. As she looked closer, she caught the awful smell of decay, and she could see a swarm of maggots creeping in and out of the mushy, dark fruit. The sight made her gag, and she backed away and pretended not to be scared as she began to jog through the woods. "Clay! It's me! Kimiko!"

She called his name over and over until her throat began to hurt, her voice bouncing off the trees as she looked around for footprints in the snow, blonde hair, freckles, a warm smile, anything, panic beginning to make her head spin. "Clay?! Are you out there?! Are you hurt?! CLAY!"

Her worry boiled over to a breaking point, and flames erupted in her palms as she prepared herself to blast the trees away if it meant finding her friend faster, but something bright and vivid caught her eye in the colorless landscape, red like fire, like pomegranates, like blood -

"Jack?"

It _was_ Jack. No doubt about it, the figure kneeling in the snow was none other than the Evil Boy Genius and world-conquering wannabe Jack Spicer himself. He stood out in the snow and the ice like a sore thumb in his trademark black coat. She jogged over to him, for once relieved to see him. "Jack," she said, trying to steady her breath. "Have you seen-?"

The words died in her throat as she saw what he was holding in his hands.

Clay's hat, the one he always wore, the one his grandfather had given to him the day he left Texas for the Xiaolin Temple, his most favorite thing in the world, lay in Jack's gloved hands like a wilted flower, torn and shredded until it was barely a memory of what it used to be. Kimiko fell to her knees at the sight, tears beginning to well up at the corners of her eyes and falling silently as she felt her insides go numb.

Jack didn't say anything to her. He didn't acknowledge her at all, he just ran his fingers along the brim of Clay's ruined hat, over and over, staring into nothing. Kimiko sobbed silently beside him, holding her arms tighter around herself and curling up into a little ball. She opened her eyes, the world swimming before her through her tears, and her breath hitched when she blinked them away and her gaze fell on something in the snow.

A small, silver dog whistle sat next to Jack, alone and forgotten in the wake of what it had summoned.

Her mind moved slowly, her thoughts trudging through her grief like someone walking through tar, but she began to put two and two together, and anger began to warm the ice in her veins as she came back to herself. "Jack?" she said, her voice flat and hollow. "What did you do to Clay?"

Jack didn't respond, not with words, but he could see his fingers began to twitch the way they always did when he was nervous. That sent her over the edge, and he reached out and grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing him to look straight into her eyes. _"Jack."_ she said, her voice as hard as steel.

Blinking out of the fog of his own thoughts as he finally realized what was happening, Jack looked back at her with wide, scared, guilty eyes. 

_**"Where's Clay?"** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Hell. Enjoy the buffet.
> 
> Songs that inspired this chapter:
> 
> Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone, by Bill Withers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBKcAc8VpIw  
> (This song inspired the fic as well!)
> 
> and
> 
> In the Summer Breeze, sung by Lauren Trujillo, guitar by Joseph Barlak, and written by Sam Frederich: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ukXbjTr8NU  
> (PLEASE be sure to check out the amazing animated pilot this song was specifically written for, it's amazing!)


	2. As Long As We're Going Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
> The earth breaks, it falls inside your beat  
> I find myself swallowed, drowning in your heat  
> As long as we're going down  
> Baby, you should stick around  
> \-------------

In the womblike caverns beneath the earth, a young Dragon fell to the ground and did not get up.

It was no grand surprise. Clay had been walking on shaky, unstable legs for quite a while. Hours, in fact. It was only a matter of time before he finally keeled over from exhaustion, and as he hit the ground, Clay noted that despite landing on dry, unforgiving dirt, it almost felt good to let go like that. His feet were bloody and blistered, and he hadn't been allowed to eat or even sleep in days. The only reason he hadn't died of thirst was because the creatures around him let him drink from any stream they came across. It was a kindness, and a curse as well - the water kept him alive, but it also kept him there, with them.

The Hellhounds.

Breathing shallow and eyes heavy, Clay almost didn't register the soft rustle of monstrous paws padding through the grass. But his Tiger Instincts had his hair standing on end as a shadow fell over his tired, worn body.

"Get up," growled a low voice.

"Clay forced himself to open his eyes and looked up through the fog, his vision blurry from the lack of sleep. A Hellhound was glaring down at him, the biggest one out of the bunch, his fiery eye glowing in the center of his forehead. He stared at him with a strange, unearthly intelligence in his eyes before baring his teeth in frustration. Clay felt a large paw come down hard on his head, smashing his face into the ground and sending pain ringing through his skull. He groaned in pain as claws sank into the back of his head.

"I said, _get up._ "

Somewhere deep inside, Clay wondered, for the thousandth time, how a dog was able to speak. It should have been impossible to pronounce words so perfectly with the structure of their lips and teeth, and that wasn't even factoring in the science behind dogs being incapable of mentally connecting sound with words. Despite the fact that it had terrified him when they first began to talk to him, the animal lover inside Clay was fascinated by it as well.

Another threatening growl brought him back to reality. The Hellhound stepped forward. "Didn't you hear me?! I said-!"

"I'm...I'm tryin'," said Clay weakly, his voice hoarse from thirst. Taking in a shaky breath, he mustered what little strength he had left to try to push himself off the ground, but his arms wobbled and gave way underneath him. "I can't."

"Try a little harder, mortal," said the Hellhound, his voice dripping with contempt as he scratched at his ear. "We still got a long, long ways to go, and I'm not dragging your sorry, worthless carcass any further. Not anymore."

"We've been walkin' for days," answered Clay, looking back up at him with a glare. "Where are y'all taking me?"

The Hellhound cocked his head and grinned, his teeth glittering like knives in the ghostly blue light of the caverns. "Where you belong," he answered, amused.

Clay shook his head slowly, a sharp edge creeping into his voice. **"I don't belong here, you mangy mutt,"** he spat.

The Hellhound growled, and before Clay could act, he bit into Clay's forearm. Clay grit his teeth and forced himself not to give him the satisfaction of hearing him cry out in pain. The Hellhound didn't seem interested in doing anything beyond causing him great pain, and he promptly let him go, lowering his great muzzle next to Clay's and giving him a very good view of his stitched-up eye sockets. "You better learn some respect, boy," he said in a voice dripping with venom. "This is your new home, and we call the shots around here. At least, when our boss ain't around."

"Your boss?"

Slowly, painfully slowly, Clay forced himself up to his knees. It took so much effort on his part, his head was spinning by the time he finished, but he did it, and he looked around at the circle of Hellhounds that had been quietly watching him converse with their leader. Clay looked around at the sea of soulless eyes, feeling defiance override his exhaustion. "What boss are you talking about? And where exactly are we?"

The Hellhound leader's eye widened in utter surprise, and after a moment or two in silent shock, he promptly barked out a laugh. _"Who are we talkin' about?!"_ he repeated, losing himself as he cackled and fell over on his side, spasming in a laughing fit.

Clay stared at him, and his face began to heat up in humiliation as a chorus of hyena-like laughter rose up around him, ringing in his ears like church bells as the Hellhounds fell over themselves in malicious glee. He looked around, watching them with suspicion, every last word like salt in his wounds. 

"Can you believe this guy?!"

"He wants to know who we're talking about!"

"Hey, you're pretty funny, mortal!"

"Yeah, you should go into stand-up! You'd be a millionaire!"

Clay began to grind his teeth in frustration as he watched the Hellhound leader pull himself back up to his feet. "Oh, oh jeez, mortal, you are a RIOT," he chuckled, shaking his head at Clay. "Look around. Look at me. Remember what brought you here?"

A sudden memory flashed across Clay's mind - red hair, an arrogant smile, a timid step forward and a sudden step back. _"....Jack,"_ he muttered, his eyes darkening.

The Hellhound shook his head at him. "I didn't say _"who",_ I said _"what"_. Now," he said, creeping closer, "Use that tiny little brain of yours and think back to the day we met. What Wu brought us onto the surface? _What was it called?"_

Clay's face scrunched up in thought - the sleep deprivation, lack of food, and something else he couldn't quite put his finger on made that question a lot harder to answer than it should have been. "The...The Call of...." He trailed off, his eyes lighting up in understanding, as the final word was left unspoken.

His revelation did not go unnoticed by the demon dog, and a tense silence, as fragile as a strand of spider silk, floated between the two for a long, long time. 

The Hellhound stared at him, unblinking, his eye like a small star shining in the dim, ghostly light.

"You know where you are," he said quietly. "And you know who we're taking you to."

Clay's stomach sank, and sank, and kept sinking until it felt like a bottomless pit had formed within his gut. He swayed, suddenly feeling very light headed, and it took him a moment to realize that he had begun to speak again. "This is a mistake," he heard himself say.

The Hellhound coughed out another laugh, grinning. "News flash, Goldilocks," he said, bringing his face close again. _"We don't care."_

Something inside of Clay began to burn at the sound of the condescension in the hound's voice, and he felt himself engulfed by the desire to wipe the smug look off of the monster's face. That feeling bubbled inside of him like magma, bright and deep and hot, and in that anger, he found his strength. Clay glared at the Hellhound, baring his teeth and digging his nails into the ground below, calling the rocks, the soil, the earth itself, begging, no, _demanding_ its cooperation.

But it did not obey. It hadn't, ever since he found himself in this dark, awful place.

The Hellhound leader laughed at the sight of Clay's defiance, tilting his head in amusement. "Awww," he cooed. "Look at that pretty face." A tremor of soft laughter spread through the pack of Hellhounds around them, and the leader shook his head again. "Listen, sweetheart, we're just doing our job. We heard the Call, we came running, we're taking you to the Big Man Himself. No mistakes were made, it's in our job description. We are dogs. WE. FETCH." He paused, the smile on his canine lips fading into cold, ominous rage. "Now, why don't you make our job a little easier and get your sorry tail up and walking, before I _**really**_ get mad."

Clay glared at him, but did not move, determined to reclaim his Xiaolin element. Digging his hands into the soil and squeezing his eyes shut, he began to pray out loud under his breath, focusing on rodeos, on figure skating, on tai chi and Texas bluebonnets and everything else that made him happy. _"Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name-"_

"Hey." A Hellhound, a sleek female with two horns on her head, stepped out of the crowd. "Our pack leader gave you an order," she growled, baring her teeth at him threateningly. "So get moving!"

Clay blocked out their words, desperately holding on to memories of nature documentaries, horse riding with his grandfather, playing the guitar on hot summer nights. _"Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven-"_

"Are you serious?" 

"That's just sad, mortal."

"Give me a break!"

Clay could feel his strength waning, could sense the atmosphere around him darkening and turning dangerous, but he ignored all of it, forcing himself to think about the Temple, Master Fung, Dojo, and three very dear faces he wanted to see again. _"Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us-"_

__

"Mortal, I am giving you to the count of three to get up and get moving. **One-** "

_"-and lead us not into temptation-"_

**_"-Two-"_ **

_"-but deliver us from evil-"_

A monstrous growl filled the air and Clay was sent flying backwards, rolling over a few times from the force of the Hellhound's blow before coming to a stop on the cold, hard ground. He coughed violently, tasting blood as he curled up into a ball from the pain in his ribs.

Above him, the Hellhound leader glared at him with contempt, ears twitching in irritation as he shook his head. "You are so pathetic, even by mortal standards," he said with a scowl.

"Hey."

The Hellhound leader turned, and met eyes with the female from before. She stepped up to him, eyes bright. "We're supposed to bring him back to Hades, right?" she asked. "Do...do we have to bring him back in one piece?"

Clay's eyes shot open.

Behind her, another Hellhound, scrawny, with teeth in all the wrong places, slunk his way up to Clay. "I'm getting real hungry, Pack Leader," he said, drool dripping from his jaw as he eyed Clay hungrily. "Gonna need a little snack before I can keep going, and it's not every day we come across living flesh." He nudged Clay with a cold, wet nose, and Clay shrunk back at the contact, his mind slowly piecing together what the monster was getting at. "I don't need much," the Hellhound continued, licking his lips. "Maybe...maybe just an arm-"

The Hellhound leader leapt forward, snapping his jaws ferociously. _**"Don't you dare take one bite of his arm, you idiot!"**_ he shouted, his voice reverberating off of the cavern walls.

The scrawny Hellhound scuttled away from Clay with a yipe, quivering before the one-eyed glare of his leader. The other Hellhounds had taken a few steps back as well, ears flat as they watched with bated breath. Clay looked back at the Hellhound leader, and the demon hound met his eyes and smiled.

Instinctively, Clay smiled back.

The Hellhound's leader's smile grew wider, curling up into a malicious grin. "Go for his leg," he said casually.

Clay felt his smile fall, and his heart began to quicken as the Hellhounds brightened at their leader's words. They edged closer and closer as the leader looked around at them with a cool smile. "Why not? Go ahead. He can survive with just one. And it would make it harder for him to escape. If anyone asks, we did it because he wouldn't stop trying to get away. Whatever gets the job done, _am I right?_ "

The scrawny Hellhound giggled like a maniac, twitching with glee as he crept closer and closer to Clay, his teeth bared. "You're right, Pack Leader! You're absolutely right!"

Clay watched with fearful eyes, tried to move, tried to edge away from him and from the other monsters slowly advancing all around, but his strength was completely gone. Horror overtook him as he begged his body to move, as he begged the earth to listen to him, but neither his body nor the earth responded, and he realized that this was it. _"Someone...help..."_

"Aww, sorry, baby," said the female Hellhound, walking slowly over to him and relishing Clay's growing fear. "But there's no one here to help you no-"

And then a loud _crack_ rang throughout the cavern.

Every single soul froze. The cackles and growls that had filled the air had stopped immediately, giving way to a tense, startled silence. The scrawny Hellhound's teeth stopped just inches away from Clay's leg as he looked up at the ceiling, ears alert and eyes flicking every which way. "Was," he gulped, looking over to his leader. "Was that-?" 

But before he could finish his sentence, another gunshot echoed through the air, a bullet meeting its target as the scrawny Hellhound yowled in pain, a fresh stump where his ear had once been.

_**"What the h-?!"** _

Gunfire, gunfire, and more gunfire began to rain down upon the horde of demon dogs. Panic rippled through the crowd as they began to scramble for cover, desperate to find some protection from the bullets, glowing like fireflies as they hit Hellhound after Hellhound. Clay summoned what very little strength he had left to pull himself up to get a better look, too exhausted to realize that the same bullets that took out the monsters around him were passing through him with no consequence at all. The dogs began to disappear in the fog, running and crying, and something else began to chase them. Lots of something elses, in fact.

Clay's ears perked up as a strange sound - Hoofbeats? _Horses?_ \- began to come closer and closer, and he turned to his left just in time to watch a pioneer wagon full of people rush past him. Every single person on it wore strange and outdated clothes, held a gun, and had blue eyes _just like his._ The man behind the reins was old and grey with glasses as dirty as sin, but determination vibrated off of him in waves as he sent the horses onward after the Hellhounds. "HYAH!" he cried, and the people on the wagon cheered as they disappeared into the fog, aiming their guns at the monsters they chased.

Clay watched them leave, completely dumbstruck. _"What in tarnation-?"_

"Clay!"

Clay whirled around at the sound of his name, hoofbeats beginning to fill his ears as a shadow moved towards him out of the fog. 

"Clay Bailey!"

Clay watched as a man on a horse rode out of the darkness, young and handsome with a thick brown mustache and freckles on his cheeks. As soon as he spotted Clay, he pulled to a stop, his horse rearing back and neighing as he calmed her with sweet words. Breathing hard and fast, he looked down at Clay like he was a star that had fallen out of the sky. "There you are!" he cried. "We've been looking all over for you!" He dismounted as quickly as he could and hurriedly knelt down beside Clay, eyeing his injuries with concern. "You alright, soldier?!"

Clay opened his mouth but found it very difficult to speak, glancing around at the horse, at the man's tattered blue Union uniform, at his oddly familiar face. "I-I'm-!" he croaked feebly, but nothing else would come out.

Just then, a vicious snarl caught their attention, and the two looked up to see a Hellhound with far too many eyes, barreling down on them with wicked intent. He leapt up off the ground, but before he could sink his teeth into the man's shoulder, an axe came flying from out of the fog and struck it right between the eyes. The Hellhound howled in agony and scrambled back into the safety of the fog with its tail between its legs.

"Yeehaw!"

An absolutely enormous man with a wild red beard came storming out of the fog, at least seven feet tall with muscles as thick as oak trees. "That'll teach you to mess with our boy, you ugly varmint!" he boomed, laughing uproariously as he gave chase to the unlucky Hellhound. "Blessing!" he called over his shoulder, "Get me another axe!"

Behind him, a young girl in Puritan clothing, no older than 11, chased after him, carrying weapons in her apron. "I'm coming, Jeb!" she cried, tucking a stray curl back under her bonnet, and without even pausing, he reached out for her hand, swept her up into his arms and lifted her onto his shoulders. Clay watched them go, but was broken out of his shock when he realized that the man in the blue uniform had begun to pull him to his feet. "Come on!" he urged, as he pulled his horse closer. "We gotta get you out of here!"

"W-Who are you?" asked Clay as he struggled to stand. He stumbled, but the man caught him and began to help him into the saddle. "H-how do you know my name?"

__"Back!"__

Clay looked up, his heart skipping a beat. "I know that voice," he mumbled, and as the soldier got onto the horse himself, he looked around for the source.

In the distance, a crowd of Hellhounds were circling a lone figure, a woman with brown hair tied up in a ponytail, wearing a red plaid hunting jacket that made her stand out like a flame against the dark fur of the pack of monsters around her. Some of them were attempting to leap onto her, but every time they got close, they were met with a punch to their face or a kick to their stomach. She made quick work of the rest with the shotgun she held in her hands, glaring at them from under her bangs as she took aim and sent bullet after bullet into the monsters. "I said get _**back**_ , you thrice-damned sons of bitches!" she screamed, bringing the butt of her shotgun down on an unlucky hound's head. "Leave one more mark on my nephew and I will skin y'all alive with my bare hands! I'll turn you into coats and rugs! Your heads will be hanging over my fireplace by the time I'm through with you!" She paused, her eyes bright with anger as she watched the monsters cower and run off into the fog. "You hear me?! **_I'll make you regret the day you ever went after a Bailey!"_**

Clay's eyes widened at the sight of her - tall, strong, and wearing that jacket as she had always done in life. "Aunt...Aunt Bea?"

"Come back here!"

Clay and the solider in the blue uniform watched as the Hellhound leader chased after his pack, limping from the wound in his leg. "I said, come back and fight you cowards!" he shouted at the shadows disappearing into the mist. Realizing that they weren't going to follow orders, he turned back, his breath heavy as he watched more humans walk out of the fog. There were people in old nurse's uniforms, gas masks, leather jackets, bell bottoms, flapper dresses, all circling the lone Hellhound leader, and glaring at him with the same pair of blue eyes. The Hellhound's ears went flat as he watched the woman in the red hunting jacket step forward, cocking her gun.

"This isn't over," he said, his voice dripping with fury, and he opened his mouth to say more. But he was cut off by a bullet whizzing just past his face.

Beatrice Bailey never lowered her gun, staring down the barrel at her target. "Was that supposed to be a threat, Old Yeller?" she asked, as she squeezed the trigger back a little, ready to shoot again. " _Because I ain't scared._ "

The Hellhound leader shivered in fear before turning around and running into the fog, his tail between his legs as he became a shadow in the distance. Behind him, Beatrice spat on the ground where he once stood. "And don't you come back if you know what's good for you!" she shouted after him, her voice echoing through the caverns like thunder. She stood there for a moment, breathing hard, until she seemed to remember what she had come there for. She turned around and caught sight of the horse, the soldier, and-"Clay!"

She hurried over to him, the specters around her murmuring in worried tones as they finally stopped and got a good look at Clay. At least, that's what Clay thought was happening. His eyelids had grown heavy, and the world was starting to become blurry. He struggled to stay awake, but the more he tried to fight sinking into the darkness, the faster he seemed to be falling into it. He could tell, though, that everyone had gathered around him in a circle, their voices bleeding into one another's. 

"He's in a bad way, Beatrice. We have to get him back to the others, before the hounds come back-"

"Don't you think I know that, Samuel?! Honey, can you hear me?!"

"He's still alive! How is that even possible?!"

"That doesn't matter right now, we must take him back home, before those awful beasts come back-"

"And they WILL be back."

"Don't matter. We'll be waitin'."

"We need to get him back to where he belongs-"

"How?!"

"Everything's gonna be fine, Clay."

At the sound of his name, Clay opened his eyes. The world was swimming before him, but he recognized that brown hair, those freckles, that jacket, that face so much like his mother's. The woman - Aunt Bea - held a hand to his cheek softly. "We're gonna get you patched up," she said. "I promise."

"I-I know you," murmured Clay, his words slurring together. "I...I know...I know..." But that was all that could come out of his mouth before his words failed him and his eyes closed shut. Her voice cut through the darkness one last time before he finally let himself rest.

"It's alright, honey. You're safe now. We got you, and we ain't gonna let anything else happen to you."

\----

__

_"Jack?"_

_At the sound of his name, Jack Spicer's eyes shot open._

_He was in standing in a void, the endless blackness around him making him break out in a nervous sweat. Despite calling himself the Prince of Darkness, one of the things he hated most was, in fact, the dark. "H-Hello?" he called out, and he cringed at the way his voice echoed into infinity._

_"Jack!"_

_Jack whirled around, and in the void, he saw someone rushing at him, someone familiar, with hair like sunshine and eyes as blue as a Texan summer sky-_

_Jack tilted his head in confusion. **"Clay?"**_

_Clay ran towards him, his eyes wide with terror as he stumbled over his feet in his fear. "Help me!" he cried, looking at Jack with unmasked desperation._

_Jack opened his mouth to ask what was happening, or to throw an insult his way, perhaps both, but then he saw what was so terrifying. Behind Clay there were mouths full of teeth, soulless white eyes, monstrous canine bodies-_

_"AAAAAAHH!"_

_Jack shrieked like a banshee and turned to run away from the countless Hellhounds heading towards him, his instincts taking over as the adrenaline flooded through his body. He whimpered and cried as Clay caught up to him, grabbing his wrist. "This way!" he called, pulling Jack sharply to the left as Jack narrowly avoided getting his foot bitten off by a demon hound._

_"Where are we going?!" screamed Jack. His eyes moved this way and that, but all he saw was nothingness."Where CAN we go?!"_

_"There!"_

_Jack looked over to Clay, who was staring at something in the distance, his eyes moving upwards. "I see it!" he cried, relief flooding his voice._

_Jack followed his gaze, his jaw dropping open at what he saw. High above them, there was a circle of light, blinding and beautiful, and coming down from it was a long, pale thread of spider silk._

_"Climb up!"_

_Jack blinked at Clay incredulously. "What?"_

_"Climb up, hurry!"_

_Clay shoved him forward and Jack nearly fell over, wobbling his arms around to steady himself. Now standing directly underneath the circle of light, he touched the strand of spider silk and shook his head. "I-I-It's just gonna break if I try!"_

_"Jack, we have to leave now!" cried Clay, his voice cracking as the howling monsters behind him came closer and closer. "Hurry up and climb!"_

_The desperation in his voice made Jack cringe. Gulping loudly and tugging at his collar, he took the thread of silk in his hands and hoisted himself upward. The spider thread was thinner than dental floss, but somehow, it held his weight. Jack began to climb further and further upward, his heart flopping over in his chest as he got closer and closer to the light. Behind him, Clay did the same, pulling himself up and up-_

_Until a demon hound came out of nowhere and sank his teeth into his leg._

_"AAAGH!" Clay screamed in pain as more Hellhounds began to latch onto his arm, his side, his shoulder and soon he was covered in the beasts, desperately trying to hold on despite the pain. Jack watched from above, trembling like a leaf in the autumn wind, as Clay reached out a hand to him. "Help me!" he begged, tears welling up in his eyes. "Please!"_

_Everything inside Jack was screaming at him to take his hand, to help him up, to spit into a Hellhound's eyes, to do something. But for some reason, his body didn't listen. He stared at Clay's hand for a moment, but only for a moment, before lifting up his leg, his mouth opening on his own. **"You're dragging me down,"** he heard himself say._

_"Jack!" cried Clay, his irises shrinking in shock, but Jack just kicked him in his face, sending him falling down, down, into a sea of hungry mouths. "JACK!"_

_Jack held on to the spider thread, screaming internally, watching in horror as Clay was devoured and ripped apart by the monsters below, but for some reason, he couldn't stop smiling. "See ya, cowboy," he jeered, chuckling darkly._

_Above him, the golden light of salvation dimmed and turned a sickly green, and Jack felt himself look up just in time to see the thread of spider silk snap. "No!" he heard himself cry, but then he was plummeting down into darkness, into death-_

** "AAAAAHH!" **

Jack shot up in his bed, wheezing in a cold sweat as his heart pounded in his ears. He looked around, taking in the comforting familiarity of the black-and-red bedsheets, the pile of blueprints on his messy desk, his little Yin-Yang nightlight, the picture of Hedy Lamarr in its heart-shaped frame on his dresser. Seeing himself safe in his bedroom at the Spicer mansion filled him with the deepest relief.

"Honey?"

Jack jumped, shrieking again as his door creaked open and the lights came on. But instead of a monster, like he was expecting, it was his mother. Sunny Spicer stood in the doorway, brushing her curly gingery hair out of her eyes as she tilted her head in concern. "Is everything okay, Jackie? I heard you scream from all the way down the stairs!"

Jack steadied his breathing, clutching the bedsheets close to his chest. "I-I'm fine, Mom," he stuttered. "I just...I just had a nightmare."

"Oh, you poor thing!" said his mother, rushing at him and smothering him in a tight hug before he could even protest. "Do you want me to make you some hot chocolate? Get one of your robots to play you some lullabies? Read you that book about the hungry caterpillar? That always made you feel better when you were little."

"No thanks!" he answered, pushing her away as he struggled to breathe. She squeezed him even closer to her chest, and his face began to turn blue. "I'm! Good!" he squeaked.

"Are you sure?" she asked, releasing him and looking him up and down, ignoring the way he was desperately gasping for air. "You haven't been sleeping at all since you came back from your walk the other day! I haven't seen you eating much either. Did something happen?"

A face flashed across Jack's mind, an honest face, with freckled cheeks and a warm smile. He shook his head to rid himself of the thought, and gently lifted his mother's hands off of his shoulders. "Nothing happened," he said, looking away. "I'm fine, I just need some sleep."

Sunny Spicer looked down at her son, eyeing him worriedly. Something wasn't being said, she could tell, and as he held her hands in his, she noticed, for the first time, that he had gone to bed still wearing his black fingerless gloves. He never went to bed with gloves before. Narrowing her eyes in suspicion, she sat back on his bed, choosing her next words carefully. "Honey," she began, her voice soft and soothing, "I know I'm not exactly a 'cool parent,' and that you like your space, but you're my baby and I love you. You don't usually go to bed so early, and you've never had nights like this so often. If something's bothering you, if _anything's_ wrong, you can always talk to me about i-"

Blue eyes flickered across Jack's vision, and he snapped. **"I said I'm fine!"**

Jack was immediately filled with regret for his outburst as he watched his mother flinch at the edge in his voice. She let out a deep breath and stood up, reaching out once more to ruffle his hair, the same way she had done ever since he was three."....O-Okay," she said awkwardly as she made her way back to the doorway. "I'm...Well...if you change your mind about that hot chocolate, I'll be downstairs watching my zumba video."

She turned the lights off, and closed the door behind her with a soft click. Jack was alone once more.

Running a hand through his hair, he flopped backwards on his bed, an uneasy feeling in his stomach. He stared up at the ceiling, looking at the glow-in-the-dark stars for a long time. Then, sighing deeply, he rolled over and fished around for something underneath his bed with one arm, feeling around until his fingertips touched what he was looking for. Rolling onto his back again, Jack pulled up a shredded cowboy hat, the very same one that once belonged to Clay. Jack ran his hand over the fabric, his face black as his fingers traced every hole, every tear. After a few minutes of this, he paused, then used his teeth to peel off his right glove, holding his hand above his head and inspecting the fresh bandages covering the burns Kimiko had given him when he fled Greece earlier that week. The angry red welts weren't going to be permanent - they were only first degree burns - but they _did_ hurt, so much so that he hadn't even been able to work on a single project since he came back home. Part of him knew that hiding it from his mother and avoiding a doctor's visit was just going to slow the healing process and prolong the pain, but if she ever caught sight of the burns going up and down his forearms, she'd never let him out of the house again.

_"You sent him to the Underworld!"_

Kimiko's voice rang throughout his head, and suddenly he was there again, running through the snow, desperate to escape her wrath as she chased after him, tears of rage streaming down her cheeks. _"You sent Clay to his death! I'll never forgive you!"_

Jack blinked his way back to reality, not noticing the way his breath had quickened from the memories, more sweat trickling down his forehead. His face twisted up into a scowl, and he sat up and threw Clay's hat at the wall, watching it land inside the trash bin near his desk. 

"I didn't do anything wrong," he hissed, glaring at the hat. "You're my enemy, and I defeated you. It's as simple as that!" He pointed at the hat accusingly. "Anyone else on the Heylin side would have gladly done the same, so why wouldn't I?!"

The hat did not answer. 

Jack scowled at the sad little hat for only a few more seconds before he had to look away. Hastily putting his gloves back on (and wincing at the pain), he buried himself under the covers and turned his back on the hat, trying to ignore the way he could almost feel it staring at him. He squeezed his eyes shut, praying for sleep to come, and knowing that there would only be more visions of Hellhounds and lost cowboys waiting for him in the night.

\----

Jack Spicer wasn't the only one enduring sleepless nights. On the other side of the world, in a large Temple deep within China, there was a strange new emptiness to be found. One late night, Kimiko Tohomiko walked through that emptiness with a tray of tea in her hands.

She walked slower than usual, sagging slightly as she balanced the tray on one hand and rubbed at the circles under her eyes with the other. Sleep was a distant memory, had been ever since she had to track down Omi, Dojo and Raimundo in the labyrinth to tell them what had happened. For almost an entire week, she'd lie in her bed, scrolling through her phone, her eyes lit up by the bluish glow of the screen, diving into website after website about the afterlife. None of it had mattered that much before - it was a pleasant concept, a shapeless, colorless _something_ on the distant horizon, a promise of eternity that she as a young girl didn't have to think about or be afraid of, not for a long time. Now, it was all too real.

Taking in a shaky breath and forcing herself not to start crying again, Kimiko moved forward.

Everything had changed since they had come back without Clay. Training had ceased. The elders gathered in the deepest, quietest parts of the Temple to speak, sometimes for hours. When they weren't doing that, they were lighting incense and sending their prayers for Clay's safety out into the universe. Master Fung, once the picture of serenity and quiet confidence, had an edge to him, something sharp and hard formed from grief and stress and the desperation that comes when you want to save someone you have no power to save yourself. Like leaves falling from a tree, her life was slowly coming undone. It had only been a week, but Kimiko felt as if the earth itself was crumbling beneath her feet.

And she wasn't the only one.

Kimiko walked down a dark hallway, eyes adjusting to the growing light up ahead. She stopped in front of a doorway, knocked on the wood softly, and cleared her throat. "Rai?"

Deep in the Temple, there was the Room of Scrolls, the library that housed the writings of thousands of years of Xiaolin warriors and their history. In the center of a nest of scrolls, sitting on a lone table, Raimundo sat, his head jerking up at the sound of her voice."Oh," he mumbled hoarsely. "Hey."

"Hey," said Kimiko, forcing herself to smile as she walking in, taking note of the strange way he seemed to jerk and twitch. "I...brought you some tea," she offered, lifting up the tray in her hands. "Want a break?"

Raimundo shook his head, smiling weakly back at her, trying and failing not to look like Death warmed over. "I'm good, thanks," he said, waving her off. He grabbed a can of energy drink next to him and toasted her, winking before he finished it off in one gulp and tossed it to the side. "Got my own thing going on here."

Kimiko watched the can clatter to the floor, eyeing the rest of the empty energy drink cans littering the ground amidst all the ancient scrolls. Raimundo's eyes were just as dark and tired as hers, but he couldn't seem to stay still. His leg wiggled, his muscles twitched, and the fingers drumming the old wooden table sounded like a hummingbird's heartbeat. She crept closer. "How many have you _had?"_

"Oh, I don't know," said Raimundo, not looking up as his eyes raced over the faded scroll in front of him. "Two, three, nine, I lost count. They're great stuff though, don't know why my brother ever banned them from our house." He looked up at her, his green eyes wild with a strange, manic energy. "Have you always had that third eye on your forehead? I never noticed before."

Kimiko cringed, and she set the tray down on the desk before reaching a hand out to cup his cheek. He felt warm under her touch, like he was coming down with a fever, and he blinked in confusion at her. "Rai, maybe you should get some sleep," she said softly. "This..." she paused to sigh and shake her head. "This isn't healthy."

Raimundo stared at her for a moment, but pulled away and looked back down. "In a minute," he said, the light gone from his voice. "Maybe an hour. Yeah, give me one more hour. I've almost got something."

"Rai-"

_"Kim!"_

They stared at each other, both surprised by the anger in his voice. He relented immediately, backing off and trying to smile at her in the most reassuring way he could "Thanks. Thank you, Kimiko. I'm fine. I just need a little more time. I...." His body sagged with exhaustion as he looked down at the Chinese characters on the page, running a hand through his hair. "I gotta do this," he finished quietly.

Kimiko stood there for a moment before slowly walking around to the other side of the desk and sat down next to him on the bench. Carefully, as if she were afraid to break him, she reached up and hugged him. He didn't make eye contact, but he leaned into the embrace, and they sat together like that for a while.

"We're gonna get him back," he said, his hoarse voice breaking the silence.

"I know," said Kimiko. 

His hand moved onto her shoulder, finally hugging her in return. " **I'm** gonna get him back," he said, defiance creeping into his voice.

She held him tighter. "I know, Raimundo."

Raimundo's shoulders moved up sharply in a silent sob, "....I'm sorry," he mumbled, starting to shake. "I should have been there."

Kimiko could feel the tears in her own eyes starting to fall. "Me too," she whispered.

Suddenly, Raimundo moved, hastily wiping the tears off his face with his sleeve and turning to her, his eyes still red. "Kim, you should get some sleep. I need to stay here for a little while longer. There's..." He began to fumble around for the scrolls at his feet, looking through them. "There's gotta be something in here about the Call of Hades. A loophole, a way to undo its effects, _something."_

"Want me to get Omi?" asked Kimiko, thinking about the way the younger monk had always stayed up with him every night before this one.

"No," said Raimundo sharply, looking back at her in worry. "He's been doing this with me too long, and..." He swallowed. "And I don't like what it's doing to him. He...we're his only family. This whole thing...it's messing him up."

"What about you, Rai?" pleaded Kimiko. "You think it's easy for m- for us to see you like this?"

Rai looked back at her with a seriousness in his eyes that silenced the words crawling up her throat. _"I'm your Leader. I have to do this."_ He turned back to the scrolls, rolling a new one out. "And I am going to save my best friend."

There was tense silence for a moment, but then he reached over to her and patted her shoulder. "Go back to your room. I'll head to bed soon enough."

Kimiko stared at him for half a minute longer before sighing standing up. "I'll just leave this here, okay?" she said, gesturing to the teapot and cup she had left on the desk. "In case...just in case."

"Thanks," said Raimundo, his eyes moving over the ancient script. "Night, Kimiko."

"See ya, Rai."

And with that, Kimiko walked out of the room, leaving Raimundo alone in his mission once more.

Kimiko froze the moment she turned to head to her room. The thought of lying awake in her bed while Clay's own bed was still untouched and empty made her stomach churn. So she followed her body, not really caring or paying attention to where she walked, pulling at her old, frayed pajamas, the same ones she had been wearing for days now. Soon she found herself outside in the courtyard. The moon overhead was nearly full, the stars in the sky sparkling overhead in a way that made her heart ache in just the right way. She admired it, walking slower as she allowed herself to enjoy something for the first time in a week-

"Ow!"

Until she found herself caught on the thorns of a nearby rosebush.

Kimiko looked down in surprise at the plant, having just realized she had been trampling over Master Fung's precious flowerbeds. She bent down to inspect the damage, when a single bloom caught her eye. A rose, the only one that had blossomed so far, stared up at her, its petals a bright, vibrant red. She reached down to pluck it, and as her eyes moved over the color, a familiar face, pale and smug, flashed in her mind.

She scowled, tears flowing from her eyes again as her hand lit up with flames, turning the bright red rose to ash.

**_"It should have been you."_ **

"What was that?"

Kimiko jumped at the sound of a young, curious voice, and looked up to see Omi and Dojo, poking their heads over the roof tiles high above.

"You scared me!" she breathed, hastily waving the flames out and hiding her hand behind her back. "What are you guys doing all the way up there at this hour?"

Omi opened his mouth, but Dojo shushed him. Remembering that others were sleeping, he motioned for her to join them up on the room. Kimiko tied her hair up in a ponytail and began to make her way up to them, using the nearby trees and statues to pinball her way up to her friends.

"What are you guys doing?" she asked again as she landed perfectly on the roof tiles next to them. "I thought you guys were sleeping."

"No such luck," said Dojo sadly as he curled around Omi's shoulders. "My head was too heavy to fall asleep, so I went looking around Clay's room, just to..." he trailed off for a moment, his voice growing small. "Just to remember things. Nicer things. Nicer days. But then Omi found me," he said, brightening up a he patted the boy's cheek affectionately, "And he thought it would be a good idea to come up here and tell some of the star stories Clay told him."

"Star stories?" asked Kimiko, sitting herself next to Omi. "What are those?"

"Clay once told me legends his grandfather used to tell him, about the stars and how they came to be." Omi looked up, smiling at the sky over his head. "Stories like how a coyote accidentally created the Milky Way, or how the Big and Little Dipper are just two bears who found their way into the heavens, and do you see those?" he asked, pointing to a cluster of stars over to Kimiko's right. "Those are the Seven Sisters, the daughters of a sky god. But everyone knows them as the Pleiades."

"How come I've never heard Clay talk about this stuff before?" asked Kimiko, admiring the star cluster Omi was pointing to.

"He only told me these stories once, when we were lost in Spain." Omi sighed, his eyes growing wistful. "We did not know each other very well back then, and being somewhere I did not recognize, in the dark, made me very nervous. So he started telling me about the stars over our head, and suddenly, I was not nervous anymore." He looked up, his eyes distant. "That was so long ago. I am not sure why I remember it so well."

Dojo curled tighter around him, gently. "It's the little things we remember most, kid. Trust me on this."

For a moment, all was silent, save for the crickets below and the gentle evening breeze. Then Kimiko spoke. "Omi, can you tell me one of Clay's stories? I'd like to hear it."

"I do know one more," said Omi. He paused, drooping a little. "It is a bit sad though."

"I don't care." Kimiko scooted closer and put her arm around him, smiling. "Tell me anyways."

Omi grinned, and as Dojo crawled into Kimiko's lap, he stood up and pointed to a spot in the sky. "There is a constellation over there, called Lyra. It is called that because it was once a lyre, and it once belonged to the greatest musician in the world."

"Lyre," repeated Dojo, suddenly going very still.

"It was placed there by the gods after his death, in honor of him, and his music, and the story of how he once tried to save his lost love-"

**"Lyre."**

Omi stumbled over his words. He turned to Kimiko, who was staring at Dojo in her lap. The little Dragon was shaking, his eyes bright with revelation as he repeated himself, his voice growing louder. **_"Lyre. The Lyre! THE LYRE OF ORPHEUS!"_**

"Dojo!" snapped Omi as he recognized the name. "If you have heard this tale, then please do not ruin it for Kimiko. And be silent, I believe _I_ am the one telling this story!"

"No!" said Dojo, hopping off of Kimiko's lap and holding Omi's face in his claws. "It's more than a story! It's the answer to our prayers!"

"Dojo? What's gotten into you?!" exclaimed Kimiko, standing up.

"Sense, that's what's gotten into me!" answered Dojo, slapping himself on the forehead. "I've been crying over Clay so much, I forgot about the **one** thing that could save him! I can't believe it! How could I be so stupid?!"

"Dojo, what are you talking about?!"

"The Lyre of Orpheus."

Dojo looked up at the two Dragons staring at him in bewilderment, collecting himself and scooting closer."The Lyre of Orpheus is a very special Shen Gong Wu, a sister Wu to the Call of Hades. It was made by Dashi years after he defeated Wuya, for the sake of an old friend. It's a musical instrument - a lyre - that can shift into whatever the user knows how to play best, and the songs it makes are so enchanting and full of power, they can bewitch the dead! Long, long ago, it was specifically made to save souls sent down to the Underworld with the Call of Hades and help them back to the land of the living! It could-"

 _"It could do the same for Clay,"_ breathed Omi, his eyes shining.

Beside him, Kimiko stood in shock. But then, she began to laugh her face brightening for the first time in days as she scooped the little dragon up and kissed him on the cheek in gratitude. "Dojo, _that's it!_ " She grabbed Omi's hand and began to lead them off the roof." Come on, we gotta go tell Rai!"

"Except..."

Kimiko halted at the tone in Dojo's voice. She looked down at him, her expression faltering. "....Except...what?"

"Except there's a catch."

Dojo avoided both their gazes, wringing his claws nervously. "Well, with the way it was created...if a living soul taken by the Call of Hades is to be saved from the Underworld with the Lyre of Orpheus, it must be played by the same person who sent them there in the first place. And that means..."

"The one who used the Call of Hades...." Omi stood up straight, his eyes widening as it hit him. "Jack." He looked at Dojo incredulously. _"Jack Spicer is the only one who can use the Lyre of Orpheus to save Clay?!"_

Dojo didn't answer, but his face said a thousand words. Omi began to pace, his stomach falling as the optimism from before evaporated away. "But...Jack Spicer has no reason to save him!" he said, moving back and forth as Kimiko stood frozen nearby. "Jack Spicer is a villain, a member of the Heylin! He is a greedy coward, and everything he does, he does for himself and no one else!" He clutched at his head, despair beginning to flood his insides. "He will _never_ agree to help us!"

"Yes. He will."

Omi and Dojo looked over to Kimiko. Her back was turned to them as she gazed out at the horizon, at the way the sky was beginning to lighten in the distance. She turned back to them, smoke beginning to pour out of her mouth, her eyes burning with the fury of a thousand sunrises. "Jack is going to help us. **We're not giving him a choice."**

\-----

"Spicer! We need to talk!"

Kimiko burst through the door of the Spicer mansion, full of rage and determination. She was in a baggy shirt and shorts, wore no makeup, and had her hair all around her, wild and uncombed. But she had never looked more terrifying. "Spicer! Come out, you creep, I know you're home!"

"Hold up!" Raimundo came rushing through the door after her, along with Omi and Dojo, eyes wide as he hurried to match her pace. "Kimiko, I want this as bad as you do but you can't just-!"

"I can and I will!" she snapped at him, scorching the carpet beneath her with her fury before whirling around and calling out again into the high ceiling. "Spicer! Spicer!"

Someone burst through a door to her left, and she instinctively got in a fighting stance, more than ready to take out an entire mechanical army.

But it wasn't a robot army. It was a woman with curly red hair and a flour-covered apron, dancing around the living room with a spatula in hand and earbuds in, singing along to the music:

_"Some boys take a beautiful girl_  
_And hide her away from the rest of the world_  
_I want to be the one to walk in the sun_  
_Oh girls they wanna have fun_  
_Oh girls just wanna have_  


Raimundo scooted out of the way as she began to shuffle past him like an extra from The Breakfast Club, still not realizing she had guests. Omi tilted his head in confusion at her, while Dojo stifled his laughter at her terrible dancing. She began to sing into the spatula like it was a microphone:

_That's all they really wa-a-a-a-a-a-ant_  
_Some fu-u-u-u-u-u-un_  
_When the working day is done_  
_Oh girls, they wanna have fun, Oh girls just wanna ha-_  


Suddenly, she turned around and bumped into Kimiko. She opened her eyes and gasped, turning bright red and pulling her headphones out. "Oh my goodness!" she gasped as she looked around and tried to collect herself. "Kids! Hello! I am -whoo!" She paused to fix her hair. "I am so sorry about that!" She looked to Kimiko. "I didn't hurt you did I, sweetie?"

Kimiko immediately deflated at the sight of those sincere eyes. "N-no, I'm fine, Mrs. Spicer," she mumbled, looking down at her feet and trying to fix her own unkempt hair as well.

"It's good to see you all again!" said Mrs Spicer as she clapped her hands together and looked around. "Are you here to visit Jackie?"

"Uh...yeah," said Raimundo, flashing her a smile. "I-Is he home?"

"Yep! He's downstairs in that lab of his. Here let me shut off the security alarms." She motioned them into the kitchen, where their jaws began to drop at the shocking amount of baked goods piled up on every inch of every counter. The Dragons and their dragon gawked at the hundreds of cookies all around them as Mrs Spicer hummed to herself, typing out a code on the basement door. A chime rang through the kitchen, and she paused, her expression dimming a bit. "Before you go downstairs, I think I should warn you. Jack's been a bit...difficult lately." She sighted, tapping the spatula to her mouth. "I can't shake the feeling that something happened and he's not telling me about it. It's been on my mind a lot lately, and I've been stress-baking because of it."

Raimundo and Omi looked at each other in surprise, and Kimiko dug her nails into her arm, saying nothing. But then Mrs Spicer caught the concern on their faces, laughed, and waved her hand in her face. "But hey!" she chirped, all sunshine once more, "I've been able to test out amazing new recipes because of it." She grabbed a heart shaped cookie off of a nearby tray and held it out to Kimiko. Here, would you like a bite?"

Kimiko shook her head. "No, thanks we-" But she trailed off as her mouth was suddenly full of vanilla icing and pink sprinkles.

"One for Kimiko," said Mrs Spicer cheerfully, grabbing some more cookies off the tray. "And one for Raimundo, one for Omi and his iguana-"

Dojo trembled with anger as he sat on Omi's shoulder, but before he could open his mouth, Omi crammed the cookie he was given into his mouth in order to keep him from blowing his cover.

"And- oh." Mrs Spicer paused, looking around. "Where is that nice Southern boy you're always with?" She laughed, rubbing the back of her head bashfully. "I'm so used to seeing the four of you together, I just thought..."

Her words came to a grinding halt as she looked up and saw Kimiko's face. Her nose had turned red and she had begun to tear up, her shoulders shaking. Raimundo hurried over to her, putting his arm around her as Omi did the same from her other side. "He's...not with us," Rai explained awkwardly. "And we miss him. A lot."

"Oh," said Mrs Spicer. "That's a shame." She was quiet for a moment, but then she looked down at the cookie in her hands and handed it to Kimiko with a smile. "Well here, you can still give it to him when you see him next time."

Kimiko wiped her nose with her sleeve and took the cookie with a shaky smile of her own. "Thanks Mrs. Spicer," she said in a stuffy voice.

"So anyway," said Mrs. Spicer, ushering Raimundo and Kimiko over to the nearby counter. "Come over here and pick yourself up some treats to take home!" Before either of them could say anything, she had given them each a paper plate and was now beginning to pile a sample from each tray, her mouth going a mile a minute as she did so. "We got sugar cookies, coffee cookies, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter chocolate cookies, wedding cookies, peppermint cookies, maple cookies, maple bacon cookies, maple pecan bacon cookies-"

As Kimiko and Raimundo cowered under the weight of so many cookies being placed into their hands, Dojo tapped Omi on his shoulder and nodded at the basement door. Omi carefully crept away from the over-friendly housewife and silently entered the door to the lab, closing it shut behind him with a soft click. 

"You know, I'll never understand how suck a schmuck like Jack can have such a nice lady for a mom," said Dojo, as Omi began to walk down the stairs. "It is indeed a great mystery," agreed Omi. He looked around at the lab. It was never the most cheerful place to be, but today it seemed even less cheerful. The lights were shut off, and the only way either of them were able to see anything at all was from the pinkish glow of the computers and machines all around them. "Hmm," said Omi, looking around in surprise. "I did not expect it to be so dark here." He walked slowly through the lab, past tables full of schematics and Jackbots in "OFF" mode. "Hello?" He called softly. "Jack? Jack Spicer?"

The two wandered the enormous, dimly lit basement together for several minutes, and it wasn't long before they both had forgotten where they came in from. Things looked different in the dark, and as he ran into another "dead end," Omi began to remember the labyrinth in Greece, how easily he had become like a rat in a maze, search and searching and never truly getting anywhere.

"Psst, Omi. Look."

Omi turned to see what Dojo was looking at, realizing that the lighting to his right had changed, and as he made his way closer, he recognized the blue-white glow of a laptop screen. He turned a corner, and there was Jack, flopped over on a couch in his pajamas, slowly typing on a laptop with bandaged up fingers. His eyes were much like Raimundo's had been for the past week, half-conscious and heavy with dark circles, and Jack paused his intent concentration on whatever was on the screen to yawn and sit up, stretching his arms over his head.

"Jack?"

"AAAAAH!" screeched Jack as he fell over onto the floor and hit his head on a nearby coffee table. He scrambled up to his feet, clutching a wooden katana he had pulled out of nowhere, when he caught sight of the two intruders raising their eyebrows at him. "Omi?! Dojo?!" His face burned with embarrassment as he glared at them. "What are you doing down here?! H-h-how did you get past the security alarms?!"

"Your mom disabled them for us," said Dojo, crossing his arms.

Jack stood frozen with disbelief for half a second before he slapped his forehead in disgust. "Ugh! _Stupid!_ She's gonna get herself killed one day!"

Omi hurried over and pulled his hand from his face. "Jack, we must speak with you immediately!"

"Not interested, Tiny" said Jack as he shoved him away. "Jackbo-!" he began to call out, but before he had even finished the word, Dojo hopped off of Omi shoulder and swelled up to his true size, winding his way around Jack like a boa constrictor. He glared down at the trapped teenager in his coils, flames beginning to lick at the corner of his mouth. **"Jack,"** he thundered, his eyes glowing like moons. **"We need to talk."**

"O-O-Okay, take it easy!" stammered Jack nervously as he quivered beneath the dragon's gaze. He edged himself away the best he could from Dojo's teeth, each longer than his leg. "W-what do you want to t-talk about?"

"We want to save Clay."

With some effort, Jack looked down at Omi, looking up at him from the floor. Omi stepped forward, suddenly quite serious. "A week ago, you sent our friend to the Underworld with the Call of Hades Shen Gong Wu. Now, we need your help to get him back."

Jack's eyes moved over his face, trying to tell if he was being serious. "Wait," he said, pulling his arms free from Dojo's grip and getting as close to Omi as he could. "I sent him down there, so why are you asking ME for help? That doesn't make sense."

"You're telling me," said Dojo, sighing deeply and sending Jack into a coughing fit from the soot that poured out of his mouth. "But as it turns out, you're the only one who can help BECAUSE you caused the mess in the first place."

Jack sneezed loudly, wiping his nose with his bandages as he glared at Dojo. "Roll that back, Smaug. You lost me."

"You used the Call of Hades to send Clay to the Underworld," explained Omi as he climbed up Dojo's body to settle down next to Jack. "You need to use its sister Wu, the Lyre of Orpheus, to get him back! You must travel to the Underworld, find Clay, and play the Lyre to rescue him!"

"And...why would I do that?" asked Jack, looking Omi up and down as if he was insane.

"Uh-?" Omi stumbled over his words. "I-I do not understand what you mean."

"I MEAN," said Jack as he crossed his arms, "Why would I help you? We're not on the same side, last time I checked."

Omi's face fell, his body sagging with heartbreak, and at that sight, Dojo roared loudly, bringing his face to Jack and sending a wave of heat washing over the teen. Jack trembled in fear but puffed out his chest, trying to ignore his singed clothes and hair. "Y-y-you can breathe fire at me all you want, but you know it's true! We're enemies, and I am under no obligation to help you!"

"Your stupidity cost us our teammate, you little rat!" said Dojo, squeezing Jack tighter and causing Jack's eyes to bug out of his head.

"So what?!" squeaked Jack as he struggled to breathe. "Did you expect me to feel bad about it?!"

"'Orpheus and Eurydice: A Tragic Fairytale.'"

Dojo and Jack both turned to Omi, who had slid himself down Dojo's body and was now seated on the couch, Jack's laptop in front of him. He turned to Jack, his eyes glowing with curiosity. "You know the story of the Lyra constellation as well, Jack Spicer?"

Dojo blinked, then immediately shrank down to his usual size, letting Jack drop to the floor unceremoniously with a yelp. "Let me see that," he said, hurrying over to Omi.

Jack landed on the laboratory floor with a groan, rubbing a sore spot on his knee, before scrambling over to the intruders. "Hey, hey, just a minute!" He reached out to grab his laptop out of the little dragon's hands, but before he could, Omi blocked him off, sliding into a defensive stance. Jack took a step back from his intense gaze as Dojo sat on the couch, his eyes roving over the laptop screen. After ten solid seconds, he glanced up at Jack and raised his eyebrow. "Since when are _you_ into Greek mythology?"

Jack flushed a deep red and looked away with a pout, crossing his arms as Dojo continued to snoop around. "Look at all of this!" he exclaimed. "You've got twenty seven tabs open and they're all about the Greek Underworld. You've even downloaded a couple of PDFs! I-"

Dojo paused, his eyes catching sight of something on the couch that he hadn't noticed before. Jack saw what he was looking at, and reached out to stop him, a strange noise coming out of his throat, but it was too late. Dojo had already made his way over to Clay's ruined hat, sitting on the couch. Dojo touched it, almost as if to convince himself it was real. "I don't believe it," he murmured. "You... _you actually feel guilty about this."_

Jack stood frozen for a second, then burst out into forced laughter. "Pfft! What? _Me? **Guilty?"**_ He turned away, crossing his arms in indignation." What do I, Jack Spicer, Evil Genius, possibly have to feel guilty about?"

"How about the fact that you cursed an innocent boy to the afterlife?" said Dojo, hopping off the couch and making his way to Jack. "How about the fact you took someone's son away? Someone's _student?_ Someone's _**friend?"**_

_"He had it coming to him!"_

Dojo and Omi both stiffened at Jack's words, and even Jack himself was caught off guard with what just left his mouth. But then he pounded his fist into his hand. "Y-yeah," he said, his words slowly growing more confident. "Yeah! He had it coming to him!" He turned around and puffed his chest out, smirking down at the little dragon at his feet. "You can't just expect to go up against me, the Prince of Darkness, without facing the consequences!"

"Don't you dare talk to us about facing consequences!" shouted Dojo, leaping onto Jack and holding him by the collar. "You're so afraid to fess up to your mistake that you're waist deep in denial!"

"I am not!" protested Jack.

"Clay's gone forever, and you're not even sorry! It's all your fault, don't you get it?! _**It's all your fault!"**_

Jack froze, and an unwanted memory flooded his senses.

_Cold, bitter winds, two seasons too soon. Snow falling from the sky, everything frost, everything white. Eyes in the woods. Growls in the air. Fear rooting him to the ground._

_A warm, calloused hand holding his._

_Take my hand, and back away real slow._

"Shut up," muttered Jack, his breath starting to come out short.

"No! I won't shut up!" Dojo's eyes shone with rage, poking his finger into Jack's nose. "Clay is gone, and it's all because of you!"

"S-shut up," said Jack again, squeezing his eyes shut. He could almost feel the grip on his hand, could feel it tighten, the only comforting, warm thing in the cold and the dark.

_Shut up,_

"Just admit it, Jack Spicer! You messed up-"

_Stay close,_

"-you used a Wu that was never meant to be in your hands-"

_And get ready to run._

**"And someone else paid the price!"**

Jack shot up straight, his eyes full of fury. **"That's it!"** , he screamed, and he sent his fist into the nearby wall. 

Dojo hopped off of his chest, scooting backwards in surprise. Behind him, Omi stared at the small crater Jack had created, and the blood that was dripping down the wall. Jack didn't seem to notice, his face livid. **" I want you both out of my lab ASAP!"** he shouted, every drop of fear gone. **"We're done here! Get out!"** He waved his hands around, sending flecks of blood all over the floor. **"Get out and NEVER come back!"**

"Jack, please!" begged Omi, as he began to back away from the advancing teen. Dojo scrambled onto his shoulders, suddenly afraid as well. "We are desperate! There is no one else we can turn to!"

"Not my problem!"

"If any of us could go in your place, we would gladly have done so already!"

"I don't care!"

"Jack, please!"

Jack opened his mouth to curse him out, but before he could, Omi leapt onto him, squeezing him into the most aggressive hug he had ever experienced, with enough force that Jack had to wobble his arms to keep from falling over. He stared down at the small Chinese boy, flabbergasted, and Omi looked up at him.

Despite his anger, Jack's heart stopped when he looked into those sad, sad eyes.

"Jack Spicer," said Omi in a small, trembling voice. "We have a chance to bring Clay home. But we cannot do it without you. Please help us. I know it is dangerous. I know it is frightening. But there is no one else that can help Clay except you."

Jack blinked down at him, his mouth hanging open at the sincerity in his voice. He glanced up at Dojo, who was on the floor nearby, gazing worriedly at Omi. His insides beginning to squirm like snakes, Jack looked off to the side, his eyes narrowing at the strange heavy feeling in his chest. It weighed him down, and yet, it made him feel completely empty, like a hollow tree.

Like something was missing.

"Jack." Omi hugged him tighter and buried his face into his stomach. _"Please."_

Jack sucked in a shaky breath and let it out, glaring at the wall. "...What's in it for me?" he asked dully.

Omi stared up at him, a slow smile beginning to cross his face. He beamed, and jumped up to envelop Jack in a proper hug, sending him off balance as the two crashed to the floor. "We will give you whatever you want in exchange for your help!" said Omi cheerfully as he sat on Jack's chest. "Whatever you wish for, it is yours!"

"Whatever I want?" asked Jack, raising an eyebrow at the manic little monk sitting on top of him.

"Yes! Anything! We will pay any price!"

Jack rubbed his chin thoughtfully, pushing Omi off to the side. "How about...all the Wu in your vault?"

"They are yours," said Omi, bowing his head in humility.

 _"Omi!"_ hissed Dojo, as he rushed over to him.

"Really?" Jack tilted his head, his mouth quirking up into a small smile. "Just like that?"

"Clay is my family," said Omi, his face suddenly growing very solemn. "And my family's life is worth more than any Wu."

Jack stared, his smile fading. "....Uh...yeah." Jack pulled himself up off the ground, his insides beginning to squirm again as he avoided the younger boy's eyes. "Yeah, o-okay. I'll do it for all the Wu in your vault. You, uh, have my word." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Now....what do I gotta do?"

\-----

"-Shortbread cookies, cinnamon cookies, cinnamon chocolate thumbprint cookies, strawberry cream cheesecake cookies, aaaaaaand gingerbread men." Mrs Spicer leaned back against the counter, catching her breath and flashing a million-watt smile at her two young guests. "There. I think that's all of them!"

Next to her, Raimundo and Kimiko glanced at each other, both of them carrying half their body weight in baked goods. "They're...really pretty, Mrs. Spicer," began Raimundo awkwardly, licking some stray chocolate off of the side of his mouth. "And really good, but we still need to talk to-"

But he was interrupted by the sound of the basement door creaking open. Omi and Dojo walked out into the kitchen, and behind them was Jack, with a backpack slung over his shoulder.

"Jack!" said Raimundo, nearly dropping his tray.

_"Jack,"_ hissed Kimiko, gritting her teeth.

"Jackie!"

Mrs Spicer pounced on her son before he could say anything, giving him a big kiss on the cheek and oblivious to the way he turned pink from embarrassment. "Your friends came to see you! Isn't that nice?"

"It's...great, Mom," said Jack, trying to pry her off him. "And it's just 'Jack,' okay? There are people watching."

"Okay, 'Just Jack,'" chirped Mrs Spicer, rolling her eyes with a smile. She caught sight of his backpack, and the way he was already walking to the door. "Oh. Are you all going out somewhere?"

Jack paused mid-step. "Uh, yeah." He turned to face her, avoiding Raimundo's and Kimiko's intense gazes. "I'm...heading over to their house. They....need me to help them with a group project."

"Oh, really?" asked Mrs Spicer, tilting her head. "I've never heard you talk about it before."

"I know, but that's because it's a tough project, and I've been avoiding it. Heh! Can't keep putting it off any more thought!" said Jack, slinging his arm around Omi, who was giving Mrs Spicer a big, toothy smile. "We're gonna need to use a _lot_ of teamwork to pull it off."

Behind him, Kimiko fumed in silence, and Raimundo took a step away from here in an effort to keep his clothes from catching on fire.

"Oh! I see!" Mrs Spicer patted Omi affectionately on the head as she turned to leave the kitchen. "Well, good luck, all of you! If you'll excuse me, I've got some vacuuming to do." She paused for a moment, then immediately ran back to give her son one last big kiss on the forehead. "Come back safe sweetie! And here," she said, shoving a nearby sugar cookie into his mouth. "Take some cookies in case you get hungry!"

"Ffanks, Momf," said Jack through a mouthful of sugar.

Two minutes later, they were leaving the Spicer mansion, each of them carrying a tray of sweets that Mrs Spicer _would not_ let them leave without. Raimundo looked down at his, turning green and looking away, already queasy. "I never want to see another cookie for as long as I live," he groaned, clutching his stomach. " _Ugh,_ how could those two kids from Hansel and Gretel stand all that sugar?"

"So....what happens now?"

Everyone turned to look at Jack, who immediately began to squirm under the scrutiny of so many eyes on him. As he briefly made eye contact with Kimiko, he looked away, tugging at his collar anxiously and balancing his cookies on one hand. "Should we start looking for the Lyre of Or-...Orphy-?" 

" _The Lyre of Orpheus,_ " corrected Dojo. "And no, we don't have to. Dashi made it after he defeated Wuya, so it never went dormant. It's been active for over a thousand years. And it's not 'hidden' either. Dashi never wanted the Lyre to fall into the wrong hands, so he entrusted it to an old friend, who guards it to this very day."

"'To this very'...Are you talking about Chase Young?" Jack blinked in surprise, his eyebrows flying up. "He's gonna help us get to the Underworld?"

"HA!" Dojo dropped his tray as he burst into a fit of hysterics, falling over onto the grass and rolling around. Jack's ears turned red and he scowled at the little dragon, rolling his eyes when he began to laugh even harder. Everyone watched as he eventually gathered himself and looked back up at Jack, wiping a tear from his eye. "Are you kidding? Chase Young is terrified of death! He would never go _near_ the Underworld, let alone get mixed up with a Wu that's connected to it."

Jack's brow furrowed in confusion, staring down at his treats in thought. "Then," he asked slowly, "Who has the Lyre?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \---------
> 
> Songs that inspired this chapter:
> 
> Sugarland, by Papa Mali: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6chjW-BNf5M
> 
> Dark Doo Wop, by MS MR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkY6yQuzdl8  
> (^i ended up naming the chapter after this song!)


	3. Friends On The Other Side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
> Are you ready?  
> \-------------

On a lonely dirt path high up in the mountains of China, Master Monk Guan walked in the rain.

Taking care not to drop the pails of water he carried over his shoulders, he adjusted his hat and admired the view of the valleys and plains below, obscured in a fine silver mist by the light summer storm. The smell of wet earth and the sounds of raindrops all around were very soothing, and he paused to take in a deep breath and just be.

But then a tingle of instinct shot down his spine, and his eyes shot open and looked up. 

A familiar shape in the grey clouds above appeared, casting a shadow on the world below. Guan watched in awe as it began to snake its way in the direction of the Temple.

"Hmm."

And with that, he adjusted the pails of water on his shoulders and began to jog, hurrying home to welcome his guests.

It wasn't long before he made it to the entrance of the Northern Temple, and even in the mist, he could see four young figures disembarking from an enormous dragon.

"Dojo!" said Guan as he put the pails of water down on the ground nearby. "I _thought_ it was you I saw in the clouds. Welcome!" He clapped his hands together, smiling. "What brings you all here toda-?"

But before he could finish his sentence, a small figure rushed at him from the mist, and suddenly, Omi had leapt onto him, clutching his robes as if his life depended on it. _**"MASTERGUANMAYWEPLEASEBORROWTHELYREOFPRHEUSTOSAVEOURFRIENDCLAY?!"**_ he screamed, his dark eyes burning with determination.

Master Monk Guan was silent, his own eyes wide as he slowly began to piece together what the little monk had just said. Then he opened his mouth, his voice hushed. "How...do you know about the Lyre of Orpheus?" he asked, his stomach sinking. "And...what do you mean, 'save Clay'? Where...where IS Clay?"

Omi looked back, and Dojo came slinking out of the fog, followed by Raimundo, Kimiko and a tall, redheaded boy in black clothes. Guan's mouth became a hard, thin line as his eyes moved over the dark circles under their eyes, and the way Jack Spicer was avoiding his gaze. "What is going on?" he asked, suddenly very serious.

"It's...a long story," said Dojo, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Can we come in? We've, uh, got a lot to unpack."

Around them, the rain began to pour down heavier than before as a crack of thunder rumbled throughout the sky.

\-------

"And...here we are."

Raimundo let out a long breath, sitting back in his stool and taking a sip of his cup of tea. Master Monk Guan stared into his own cup, still trying to process everything he had just heard while the storm raged outside. Beside him, Omi and Dojo watched him curiously, waiting to hear him speak, while Jack fidgeted on his other side and avoided Kimiko's heated glare from across the table. Finally, Master Guan finished the last of his tea in one gulp.

"...That is...most troubling to hear, young warriors," he said, his voice heavy. "I...I had no idea this even happened."

"That's our fault," said Kimiko, looking over to him guiltily. "We've been so lost since it happened, we didn't even think to reach out to you."

"No, kiddo," said Dojo, drooping sadly. "I'm the one who should have thought of it sooner. It's my job to know about the Wu."

Master Guan reached out and patted Dojo on his head, prompting a small smile from the little dragon. "Loss affects us more deeply than we would like to admit," he said. "The important thing is that we are here, and we are together."

"And together, we will save Clay!" said Omi, standing up from his seat and beaming at Master Guan.

Master Guan's smile fell, and he looked down at Omi with an expression between concern and pity. Omi's smile became forced, and he stumbled over his words. "....-R-Right, Master Monk Guan?" he asked, the confidence in his voice beginning to fade.

Master Monk Guan let out a deep breath and stood up. "Young warriors," he said, bowing low. "Please excuse me."

They watched as he left them alone in the dining room, the room silent save for the thunder overhead and the heavy rainfall, until Jack broke it.

"That, uh, doesn't exactly inspire much confidence," he said, wincing as he picked up his cup of tea.

"Shut up, Spicer," grumbled Kimiko as she reheated her tea with a small flame under her cup.

"Hey, I'm just saying-" began Jack, but Kimiko pounded her fist on the table, causing him to screech and immediately fall silent.

"I don't want to hear anything more from you than I have to," she growled. "This whole thing is-!"

"All my fault, blah blah blah, I GET IT," said Jack, finding his second wind. "But I'm here, aren't I?! I'm going to help you dweebs get your other dweeb back! A-and besides, nothing that I said was exactly wrong." He leaned back in his chair, looking over to the others. "Didn't any of you get a weird vibe from him just now? Like, it almost felt like he didn't want to help us."

"That is absurd!" countered Omi indignantly. "Why wouldn't Master Guan want to help us?! Of course he will! Right, Raimundo?.....Raimundo?"

Omi turned to glance at his leader, who was chewing his fingernail nervously. Raimundo met his gaze, and started, realizing that all eyes were now on him. "Uh, well-" he began, but before he could say anything else, Dojo hopped down from Omi's shoulder.

"Listen kids," he said, "We are going to get the help we need. Master Monk Guan is someone we can trust with our lives, but...you should know...there's, uh, more to this than you think." He twiddled his thumbs and looked down at the table with a sad look in his eyes. "He has a complicated relationship with the Lyre of Orpheus."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Raimundo, but just then, footsteps came echoing down the hallway, and everyone turned to see Master Monk Guan walk through the doorway with something in his arms. Everyone's eyes widened as they leaned in closer to get a better look.

_"Whoa..."_

In Guan's arms there was a large instrument, a strange invention of polished wood, leather, and an actual tortoiseshell. Despite its ancient and humble appearance, its golden strings glimmered with power. He held it out to them with both hands, and Dojo scooted closer, reaching out to touch it. "The Lyre of Orpheus." he breathed, running his claws over the strings, causing a few musical notes to float up gently into the air. "It's been a long time since I've seen this Wu."

Guan gave him a small smile, but grew serious when he looked up at the others. "Young warriors," he said, "The journey that lies ahead is a perilous one. It was one that no mortal was ever meant to make. You all understand that, yes?"

They all nodded, holding their breath, except for Omi, who mustered up the courage to ask the unspoken question on everyone's lips. "Does...I...I'm sorry," he apologized, "But does that mean you won't help us?"

"No, Omi," said Guan reassuringly. "Of course I will help you however I can. But you all need to be **very well aware** of what you are getting yourselves into."

"We are aware, Master Guan!" said Kimiko, her eyes bright. "We wouldn't be here if we weren't willing to go and fight for Clay!"

"Uh..." began Jack awkwardly, but Omi hastily elbowed him, causing him to crouch over in pain."Yep!" he squeaked, clutching his stomach. "She's right! We're all ready!"

"Oh," said Master Guan, turning to Kimiko. "Is that so? Then, tell me. What were you going to do once you got the Lyre of Orpheus?"

"We were going to take it to the Underworld and use it to save Clay," she answered, crossing her arms confidently.

"I see." Guan tilted his head. "And how _exactly_ were you planning to get to the Underworld?"

"T-" Kimiko began, but as his words sunk in, she fell silent. She looked to Raimundo, who looked to Omi, and suddenly they were all at a loss for words, realizing that they had no answer for Guan's question.

Jack swallowed and fumbled around for something in his pocket. He pulled it out, clearing his throat. "Well," he began, as the Call of Hades glinted silver in the light, "I mean, we could always-"

But before he could finish his sentence, something came flying out of nowhere, pinning his sleeve to the table and sending the Call of Hades flying up into the air.

As Guan calmly caught the Call of Hades before it hit the ground, Jack screamed as he realized that the Spear of Guan was holding him to the table. He struggled to pry himself free, but then a hand from behind pulled it out of the hard wooden table effortlessly, and Jack soon found himself staring up into very angry eyes. **_"Misusing the Call of Hades is what got you into this mess in the first place!"_** shouted Guan, causing everyone else to edge away from the fury in his voice.

"Ah, sorry, sorry!" whimpered Jack, holding his hands up to protect himself. Guan moved, and Jack flinched, but immediately relaxed when he realized that the older man was just tucking the Call of Hades deep into his robes. He turned to look outside the window, watching as the rainfall began to ease up. "...There will be a full moon tonight," he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "The storm seems to be leaving us, so there should be plenty of light for us to see by."

The children looked at each other in confusion, but it was then that Guan turned to them all. He walked over to Raimundo and gently placed the Lyre of Orpheus in his hands. "Warriors, it is time for all of you to get some rest," he announced, leading them out of the dining area.

"What for?" asked Raimundo, as he looked down at the instrument in his hands.

"There is a crossroads not far from here," explained Guan, as he led them to the entrance of the Temple. He grabbed his hat from where he had left it earlier, putting it on. "Tonight, we will journey to it and see if we can find someone willing to take you to the Underworld."

"What?" Raimundo blinked, then shook his head, his eyes big. "Wait, WHAT?"

"There...there are people who know how to do that?" asked Kimiko, stepping forward.

Guan paused in his actions, thinking for a moment. "Well, there is one person I know who might be willing to lend a hand to our cause." He looked over his shoulder, his face grim. "Someone I have known for a very long time."

They all stared at him, and he turned back around, pulling his hat down over his eyes. :I have preparations to make. In the meantime, please. My home is yours. The guest quarters are down that hall, and you are free to any food or drink here." He bowed low. "Sleep well. We have work to do tonight."

And then he walked out into the rain. The children watched him go, each trying to think about what had just transpired. Jack crossed his arms, pouting in frustraton, before glaring at Raimundo. "What...exactly ARE we getting into?" he asked, trying and failing to hide his apprehension.

Raimundo opened his mouth, then turned to watch Master Monk Guan disappear into the fog. He could feel Dojo tightening around his shoulders anxiously, and he pulled the Lyre of Orpheus closer to his chest.

"....I'm not so sure anymore."

\-------

"Spicer, do you not know the meaning of personal space?"

Jack grunted as Raimundo shoved him away. Jack tripped over his feet and fell flat on his butt as Raimundo pulled his hoodie up with a "Hmmph!". The redhead brushed himself off and went back to his spot, shivering from fear. "Hey, don't get mad at me!" he snapped. "Get mad at the guy who brought us to the creepiest possible place at midnight!"

The four children stood together under a dead tree by a crossroads, its gnarled branches reaching up to the full moon ahead. The land was flat all around, nothing for miles, and the sound of Guan digging a hole in the center of the crossroads echoed out into eternity. There was the sound of crickets, and night creatures, but the quiet was still overwhelming. Kimiko held herself tightly, looking around in the darkness. "Is anyone else getting a little freaked out by all this, or is it just me?" she asked, biting her lip.

"This seems very...strange, yes," agreed Omi, as he watched Guan and Dojo whispering to each other in hushed tones. "But I trust Master Monk Guan. If he believes that this is the best course of action, then it is."

They all fell silent again. Jack trembled and cowered as he nervously glanced all around, Kimiko held herself tight, Omi stood straight as an arrow, the picture of patience. But beside him, he saw a small shiver run through Raimundo's body. The young boy looked over to his leader and saw the fear in his eyes. "Is everything alright, Raimundo?"

Raimundo nodded, but his movements were curt and tense. "I'm fine. It's just...I...I hate crossroads," said Raimundo in a low, quiet voice. 

Kimiko looked over at him in surprise. "You do? Why?" 

Raimundo sighed, pulling his hoodie over his face. "They give me the creeps." He shuffled around awkwardly, looking down at his shoes. "My uncles used to tell me stories about these places. They'd be walking come from a night drinking with friends, and they'd...see things. Weird things."

"W-w-what kind of things?" asked Jack, edging closer to the rest of the group as he looked over his shoulder.

"Like, women with hooves instead of feet, and men made out of shadows." Raimundo rocked back and forth, still not looking at them. "I used to think they were making it up, but one of my brothers - Carlos - swears he was chased by an animal without a head the last time he drove through a crossroads at night. He's never gone outdoors after dark since."

"Why did I ask?!" muttered Jack as his teeth began to chatter."I d-d-didn't need to know!"

On Raimundo's other side, Omi reached out and touched Raimundo's shoulder. The older boy looked down at him in surprise, and Omi smiled. "You are the Dragon of the Wind, Raimundo. I have no doubt that you could defeat anything you'd find at a crossroads, including whoever we're waiting for."

Taking a deep breath in and out, Raimundo reached into his hoodie pocket, where a small wooden rosary was hidden. He ran his fingers over the beads for a moment, mulling over Omi's words, before looking down at him with a smile. "That's true, but...I can still be scared, right?"

Omi grinned and puffed out his chest. "You have nothing to fear, Raimundo! I will protect you!"

Kimiko giggled at his bravado, the tension in her body melting away. Raimundo laughed, shoving him lightly. "Thanks," he said.

"Ugh," scoffed Jack as he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "I'm getting diabetes just listening to you two."

"Shut it, Spicer," muttered Kimiko darkly, and he fell silent.

The children stood together in the quiet evening once more, watching as Guan and Dojo dug their hole. FInally, he stood back, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his wrist. "All right," he said, tossing the shovel to Kimiko. "It is done. Now, for the food."

"Oh, food!" said Jack, patting his growling stomach as Omi stepped up to Guan with a basketful of bread and cheese. " That's good! I was starting to work up an appetite from all the standing around what are you doing?" he finished, as he watched Guan beginning to place the items in the hole.

"Burying these, of course." Guan carefully placed each foodstuff in the hole, one by one. "These are offerings. It'll be hard enough to convince your guide to help us, with the nature of our predicament, but this will at least keep him here long enough for us to plead our case. He has a soft spot for these foods."

"O-oh," said Omi, looking away nervously. "O-o-of course."

Raimundo stared as Master Guan pulled out a full bottle of strawberry wine, the last item in the basket, placing it carefully in the center of the rest of the food. "Master Monk Guan, I have a question."

"Yes, Raimundo?" asked Guan casually, as he began to bury the offerings.

Raimundo leaned back against the tree, trying to look casual "So, uh, his person we're waiting for...is he...human?"

Guan shook his head, and Dojo turned back and gave Raimundo a raised eyebrow. "No," Guan answered. "He never was and he never will be."

Raimundo ignored the look Dojo was giving him, and asked the one question that had been burning in his mind ever since they had arrived at the crossroads earlier that night. "Is he...a friend?"

Guan stiffened, and Dojo cringed at the sight of the expression on Guan's face. Whatever it was, none of the children could see, but then Guan gently reached out to pat down the dirt over the offerings one last time, before he stood up and turned around."Omi," he said calmly, reaching out a hand. "The Lyre, if you please."

"Oh. Yes, Master Fung." Omi walked over to place the Lyre of Orpheus in Guan's hands, nearly falling over with how big the instrument was in comparison to his small frame. Master Fung looked down at it, took a deep breath, and lifted it up.

**"Lyre of Orpheus."**

The Lyre glowed a bright gold and began to shift and stretch before their eyes, and a few seconds later, where there had once been a lyre, there was a long, stringed instrument, a beautiful sanxian. 

"Whoa!" gasped Jack.

Guan began to walk to the center of the crossroads, and Dojo hopped off of his shoulder and crawled over to Raimundo, winding himself around the young boy's shoulders. Guan looked up at the sky overhead, and at the four roads, one by one, almost as if looking for someone. Finally, he sat down, and in the stillness of the night, they could hear his whispered words as clear as a bell: "Let's see if I remember how that song of his goes."

And then Guan began to play.

It didn't start out as a song, right away. He fiddled with the strings for a while, tuning them, getting used to them. The disjointed musical notes echoed out into the distance, sending chills up the spines of his audience as they seemed to come from everywhere all at once. Raimundo raised an eyebrow at Dojo, but Dojo clung to his clothes, oddly quiet. And then, Guan began to play a song. It was slow and steady, like a heartbeat, simple, and yet so very solemn. Time stretched on as he played that song, over and over, under the moonlight, while everyone else looked around to see what would happen next.

No one knew when it started, or in what direction it had started from, but it wasn't long before they began to hear something singing along to the music.

Omi was the first to notice, taking a step forward once he realized that what he heard wasn't his ears playing tricks on him. As the others watched his reaction with confusion, they, too, began to hear the deep, soulful voice singing in the distance, and looked around to see where it was coming from. Raimundo held on to his rosary in his pocket as he turned and saw a figure walking up to them from the South, still singing, and moving towards Guan with a purpose. He elbowed Kimiko as Dojo shivered on his shoulder and the children all turned to watch as the words the stranger was singing began to ring throughout the air with clarity: 

_When I was a child, I heard voices_  
_Some would sing and some would scream_  
_You soon find you have few choices_  
_I learned the voices died with me_  


_When I was a child, I'd sit for hours_  
_Staring into open flame_  
_Something in it had a power_  
_Could barely tear my eyes away_  


_All you have is your fire_  
_And the place you need to reach_  
_Don't you ever tame your demons_  
_But always keep 'em on a leash_  


He was closer now, and though they could not see his eyes under the wide brimmed feathered hat he wore, they could see that he was tall, with dark skin and a lithe figure, and a smile on his lips as he sang his haunting melody. He wore strange clothes that just didn't feel right for the era - a deep purple cloak, a snow-white shirt with a cravat, black trousers, and laced-up boots. He had nothing or no one else with him, except a long wooden shepherd's staff he carried in his hand. He continued to hum to the music, a low, mournful sound as he walked casually towards Guan. Guan finished the last few notes of the song, before standing up just as the stranger came to a stop in front of him. The two men stared at each other for one long, tense moment.

The stranger's smile fell. _"Master Monk Guan."_

Guan glared at him, his grip on the Lyre tightening. _**"Αθανατος Διακτορος,"** _, he spat in reply. 

The man looked down, but then, his shoulders began to shake. Guan raised his eyebrow as the stranger's shoulders continued to shake, and the others held their breath until suddenly, he snorted, and they all realized that he was shaking because he was struggling to contain his laughter.

Guan blinked in confusion at the man beginning to laugh in front of him. "...What?"

The stranger shook his head, unable to answer as he began to laugh even harder, holding onto his staff for support. 

"What?! What is so funny?!" demanded Guan as the laughter got louder and louder.

"You, you big dope!" the man finally answered as he pointed at Guan, poking him in the chest.

"What?" asked Guan awkwardly, looking down at the spot where the man had poked him.

"I...I can't believe you actually did it!" said the man as he clapped a hand to his forehead. "You actually did it!"

"Did...what?" asked Guan suspiciously.

"This!" said the man as he twirled around in a circle. "The crossroads! The music! The offerings, everything! The ritual, you fool! _You actually went through with it!"_

Guan stood flabbergasted as tears poured down the stranger's face, cackling into the night like a hyena. "I...didn't you - " He stomped his foot in frustration. "You told me I needed to do all of this in order to summon you!"

"I was _kidding!"_ said the man, wiping a tear away. "Guan, we've known each other for 1500 years. Just call my name and I'll come running! That's all you gotta do! I can't believe you actually-!" He burst out in laughter, finally falling over as he rolled around on the ground, kicking his legs and clutching his ribs. _"I'm gonna pee!"_

The children and Dojo watched with wide, stunned eyes as the man continued to break down in laughter like a madman at Guan's feet. Guan pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, his voice dripping with contempt. "You haven't changed a bit, Virgil."

"And neither have you!" the stranger giggled as he finally peeled himself off the ground. He held out his arms for a hug. "Come on! Bring it on home!"

"No thank yo-"

But before he could finish his sentence, the other man had already leapt onto him, causing Guan to stagger backward a few steps as he dropped the Lyre and it fell to the ground, reclaiming its original shape. The children watched, their jaws agape, as the stranger climbed Master Monk Guan like a jungle gym, eventually coming to rest on top of his shoulders. "It's been a hot minute since I last saw you, and you're looking great!" said the stranger as he leaned on Guan's head. "Hey, how long HAS it been, buddy?! One hundred years? One hundred and fifty?"

"In my opinion, it has not been long enough," said Guan through gritted teeth.

"Mm-mm-mm. You and that mouth of yours." The stranger brought his arms around Guan, smushing his face against his and nuzzling him like an affectionate cat. " _Gods,_ I've missed you. It's good to be together again, Handsome~"

Guan turned red and grabbed him by the forearm. "Get off of me, you pest!" he yelled as he flung the man off into the air.

"Ooh!" said the man as he reached out and grabbed a tree branch in front of him. He swung himself around it a few times like an acrobat before letting go and landing perfectly on his feet on top of it, looking back at Guan with a wide smile. "That's _rich,_ coming from the man who came all the way out to this specific place, at this specific time of night, playing that specific song with THAT SPECIFIC WU." He pulled his staff from behind him and pointed at Guan, leaning up against the tree trunk. "Who's the pest here, you or me?"

"You, definitely you, **it's always you,"** growled Guan, his fists clenched in rage.

The stranger laughed again as he twirled his staff around on his shoulders. "You can whine and moan all you want, but you're still standing here."

Guan ran a hand over his face, and suddenly, the others watching him were reminded of an exasperated father. "Virgil, we need to talk," said Guan, marching up to the tree. "There has been a rather tragic-"

"Wait, hold that thought!" said the stranger, leaping down from the tree with surprising grace. He pulled his cloak aside, rummaging around a messenger bag. "I wanna see what you brought me!"

"Vir-" Guan sighed, rolling his eyes and slapping his forehead in frustration. "Virgil-"

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH, check it out!" cried Virgil, hopping up and down excitedly as he began to pull out the offerings that Guan had buried one by one. "Honeycomb, feta, grapes, bread?! YES! ALL my favorites!"

The stranger - Virgil - continued to laugh in glee at his gifts. Omi, Jack and Dojo watched with morbid fascination at the bizarre man in front of them. Raimundo and Kimiko looked at each other in confusion, and turned to look at where Guan had buried all of the offerings at the center of the crossroads.

But there was nothing there anymore, just a hole in the earth that looked like it had been dug up by a large animal.

Raimundo and Kimiko turned to look back at each other in horror. Jack turned and caught sight of the hole as well, squeaked, and hid himself behind the tree, his heart racing as the man pulled out the final item, the bottle of strawberry wine, from his bag."Oh," he said, admiring the bottle. "Ooh la la~" He looked over at Guan with a wide grin. "I gotta hand it to you, Guan. For such an uptight immortal, you sure know how to give a guy a proper homecoming. Hey, I just got the greatest idea! Let's open this up and drink ALL OF IT, right here, right now!" He leapt forward, holding onto Guan by the shoulders. "Get drunk with me! Whaddya say?"

"Virgil, PLEASE," Guan begged as he pushed Virgil's hands off his shoulders and motioned towards the others under the tree. "There are children present!"

Virgil went quiet as he looked over and saw Raimundo, Kimiko, Omi and Dojo staring at him with bated breath. Then he smiled, leaning on his staff again as he tilted his head at them curiously. "Evenin', kids. It's kind of late to be walking around a crossroads. Don't y'all got school tomorrow?"

None of them knew quite what to say to that. Virgil stood back up, tugging at his collar. "Yikes. Tough crowd." He looked back at Guan. "So, uh, when'd you become a dad?"

"Virgil, these aren't my children," sighed Guan. :They are the students of Master Fung."

"Master Fung, Master Fung," muttered Virgil, tapping his staff down on the ground in thought. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers "Oh! You mean the guy Dojo's been hanging around with!"

"That's right," said Dojo, waving at Virgil awkwardly. "That's the guy."

"So that must mean..." Virgil stood up straight at looked appraisingly at the three pairs of eyes looking back at him. "These are the Xiaolin Dragons? Huh!" He stood back and grinned. "Well this night just got a lot more interesting. I've heard the rumors about you kids, but I've never had the chance to actually see you in person."

Guan walked over, gesturing to each Dragon as he introduced them. "Virgil, this is Kimiko, the Dragon of Fire, Raimundo, the Dragon of Wind, and Omi, the Dragon of Water. Children..." He groaned. "This is Virgil."

"Yo," said Virgil, sending a finger gun their way and clicking his teeth.

"Are you like...a Crossroads Demon?" asked Raimundo, looking him up and down in suspicion.

Virgil froze for a moment. But only for a moment. "HAH! "Demon?!"" He giggled, snorting in laughter again at Raimundo's face. "Oh, that's a good one!"

"Virgil is no demon, Raimundo," said Guan, placing a hand on Raimundo's shoulder. "But to be fair, "demon" isn't too far off the mark."

"Oh Guan, you Ice Queen," said Virgil, shaking his head. "But to answer your question, Wind, I'm not a demon, so, you know," he finished, waving his hands. "Chill out."

"He is a psychopomp," explained Guan. "A spirit who guides the souls of the recently departed to the afterlife."

"We prefer to call it _**άδης**_ ," said Virgil, stressing each syllable out. He huffed and looked away. "Get it right already, it's been 1500 years."

"Hush."

"Oh, so you're like a Grim Reaper," said Kimiko, moving forward a little.

"No no no, Fire," said Virgil, chuckling again as he looked over at her. "Grim Reapers reap souls, and actually have a direct hand in ending someone's life. I don't. Death ain't my domain, like, at all. The dearly departed are." He looked up at the sky in thought. "The closest thing I'd resemble in your mortal belief systems would probably be a "guardian angel," but even that's misleading. I'm just a simple guy that shows wayward souls where they need to go. Think of me as your Post-Mortem Buddy System for the road trip to your Final Destination! You know," he shrugged, "So you don't get lost and wander around Limbo for all eternity!"

Kimiko nodded sharply, smiling nervously and not sure how to respond. But luckily, she didn't have to. Virgil went still and looked at something just over her head. "...And who's that guy behind the tree?" he asked.

From behind the dead tree, Jack Spicer jumped, holding his hands to his mouth and beginning to shake.

 "Yeah, I know you're back there!" Virgil called out. "You ain't slick! Don't be rude! Say hello!"

"It is all right, Jack Spicer," said Guan. "You are safe."

Slowly, very slowly, Jack began to edge around the tree, peeking out and tiptoeing closer to the others, avoiding looking directly at Virgil.

Virgil tilted his head again as he approached. "Is that supposed to be Earth?" he asked Guan. He leaned closer to him, whispering out of the corner of his mouth. "That's kind of sad. I was expecting something more-" He gestured with his hands. "Not this."

"Virgil," said Guan, as Jack finally stood in front of them. "This is Jack Spicer."

"H-hello," mumbled Jack, warily looking up at Virgil for the first time.

Virgil glanced at Guan, shrugged and held his hand out, smiling. "Put it there, Red."

Jack stared at his outstretched hand, but didn't take it. ".....Uh....are you...?" He turned to Guan, grabbing him by the wrist. "Just a sec," he called out over his shoulder, as he dragged Guan over to the side.

Virgil pulled his hand back, frowning, and the Dragons watched as Jack and Guan began to speak in hushed tones.

"Is this a joke?"

"...Excuse me?"

"This creep is the guy who's supposed to help us?! He's a clown! Are you seriously asking us to trust this guy?!"

Guan sighed. "I know Virgil can be...difficult, but please believe me when I say that he is more than what he seems. He's the only person I know who can take you to the Underworld and back safely."

"I think I'd rather take my chances with the Call of Hades!" said Jack, and with that, he leapt at Guan, reaching for the Wu hidden in his pocket.

Guan held up a hand, picking up a squirming, writhing Jack by the scruff of his neck and glaring at him. "Jack, this is not up for discussion!"

"Don't tell me what to do, Guano Man!" Wiggling out of his jacket and getting free, Jack stood back, puffing his chest up and not bothering to realize that everyone else nearby could clearly hear him now. "I'm sixteen years old, I can make my own decisions! And I'm not partnering up with some weirdo in a tacky hat!"

Behind him, someone whistled loudly before chuckling darkly. Jack froze, his hear standing on end as he turned around and realized that Virgil was now right behind him. "Sixteen years old!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands up. "Wow. Such a big boy." He reached forward and began to pinch Jack's cheeks affectionately. "Such a big beautiful **boy!** Hey, you wanna know how old I am?"

"Uh-" began Jack, but then Virgil threw his arm around him and pushed the brim of his thumb up with his hat, and for the first time, he was able to get a good look at his face. He was young, in his early twenties, black, with a handsome face and short, dark hair, and he bent down to get a little closer to Jack. "Don't bother answering," he said as he opened his eyes and looked down at the teenager.

Jack froze at the sight of his eyes. They were the most chilling shade of blue, with a strange key-like symbol in place of human pupils, and they seemed to glow in the moonlight with unearthly fire as they looked down at him, his lips curling into a wolflike grin. **"I've been around for so long, you mortals don't even have a word to describe it."**

Jack said nothing, but he scrambled away and bumped into Guan, who held him by the shoulders. Jack wasn't sure if he was supposed to feel safer or more trapped with those hands holding him in place. "Virgil," said Guan. "We have business to discuss."

Virgil raised his eyebrow at him and then leaned against his staff, sighing wearily."Yeah. Probably." He pouted. "Why else would you call me here?" Reaching back into his messenger bag, he pulled out a knife and the bottle of wine, working to unscrew the cork. Once the bottle was open, he raised it to Guan in a toast and then took a long, deep drink. "All right. Talk dirty to me."

"As...I was saying," said Guan awkwardly, patting the cowardly teenager's shoulders. "This boyis Jack Spicer."

"Charmed," said Virgil sarcastically, and Jack flashed him a nervous smile.

"He considers himself to be on the side of the Heylin."

At that, Virgil raised his eyebrows at him, taking another drink from the bottle. "Of course he does," he muttered. "Kids and their phases."

At that, Raimundo and Dojo sniggered, and Jack's face heated up. Guan ignored them, reaching into his robes and pulling out the Call of Hades. "One week ago, Jack Spicer found...this."

Virgil's eyes widened as Guan held the Wu out to him, putting his bottle down as his face grew deathly serious for the first time since he arrived."It went active," explained Guan, "And so the Xiaolin Dragons went searching for it where it was hidden inside the labyrinth. The Dragon of Earth was very close to getting it, but before he could reach it, Jack beat him to it, and-"

"And he sent the Dragon of Earth down to the Underworld," said Virgil slowly, all traces of good humor gone. He looked back at Jack, his eyes glowing brighter as he shook his head, icy rage flickering across his face. "....You absolute idiot," he said, beginning to advance on him. "You rotten little sh-!"

"Easy, easy, I-I-I can explain!" Jack stuttered, beginning to back away.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?!" shouted Virgil, causing the other children to take a step back.

"It was an accident, I swear!"

"No, nononono," said Virgil, waving his words off like pesky flies. "Don't you give me that excuse. Spilling wine on your friend's heirloom tablecloth is an accident. Knocking over a lekythos full of your wife's best perfume is an accident." He pointed his staff at Jack. "YOU are an accident! What you did to the Dragon of Earth?! It was murder, plain and simple!"

At this point, Virgil had cornered Jack up against the dead tree, the teenager shaking as he pressed himself up close to the bark, too afraid to take his eyes off of Virgil. The psychopomp looked at him in disgust, his voice dripping with venom. "You can frame it however you want to, you can lie to yourself until you're blue in the face, but in the end, you sent someone straight to the Underworld before their time." He swung his staff, and Jack felt a sharp pain in his side as he was sent flying across the ground, his audience cringing at the force of his landing.

Kimiko's eyes widened as Raimundo took a step forward. "Whoa," he whispered. 

He and Omi ran over to Jack to help the dazed teenager off the ground, as Virgil fumed, bringing his staff down hard on the road with a strange echoing sound. "Hope it was worth it, you little jerk," he spat, turning his back on Jack.

"Virgil!" said Guan, as he put himself in between the two. "Please calm down and listen. We need your help to get the Dragon of Earth back home. That is why I called you here."

All was silent for one long, awful moment. Virgil took another deep drink of strawberry wine before he looked Guan dead in the eye. "Absolutely not."

Kimiko's heart fell, and before anyone could stop her, she was walking towards Virgil. "But you just said-!"

"I know what I said, Fire." Virgl turned to look at her with something like regret. "And I don't deny it. What happened is...a shame." He shook his head wearily. "A terrible, terrible shame, but rules are rules. No one comes back from the Underworld. It's a one way journey. No exceptions. Ever."

"Virgil, there must be something you can-"

Virgil brought his staff down again, making the sound reverberating and flooding into the distance, silencing Guan's words. "There is nothing I can do."

Guan's face grew angry, his hands balling up into fists. "We both know you are lying."

Virgil stood up straight, his body rigid, then shoved the cork back into the wine bottle as he whirled around to face Guan. "As I've said before, mortals have no business meddling around in the Underworld! We've been OVER this!" He glared at Guan, looking him up and down in distaste. "How many times do I have to say it before you get it through that thick skull of yours?! _The dead should stay dead!"_

"Don't you dare bring that up, Virgil, this - this isn't about that-!"

"This isn't about that?!" Virgil gave him a disbelieving laugh. "Are you serious?! You're asking me to do the exact same thing you and your idiot friend forced me into 1500 years ago!"

"You have some nerve to act like this situation is anything like what happened back then!" shouted Guan sharply, paying no attention to the wide, scared eyes of the children around him.

"Well, what right did you have to be making demands we both knew were impossible?! You shouldn't have done it then and you shouldn't be doing it now!" Virgil brought his staff down on Guan's head. "Do I have to knock some sense into you?! Learn your lesson while you still can, you idiot! You've already been punished once, what, are you trying to go two for two?!" 

"Virgil, listen to reason!" begged Guan, his voice growing desperate. "This isn't about what I want, it's about what never should have transpired. An innocent boy was sent to the Underworld." He held up the silver Wu still in his hand. "The Call of Hades-!"

"Give me that!" snapped Virgil as he snatched it out of Guan's hand. He looked down at the Wu with pure hate in his eyes. "It was a mistake on my part to think that the labyrinth would be a good enough place to hide this wretched thing. I should have destroyed it when I had the chance." He closed his eyes. "That's on me. But none of us would even be here if you had just accepted the way things needed to be in the first place!" he finished, pointing his staff at Guan. "You AND Dashi! He NEVER should have made this Wu!"

"Don't you think I know that?!" cried Guan, his face suddenly very sad.

"I don't think you do! What you did was terrible, Guan! It was wrong!"

"I! KNOW!" shouted Guan. "But that's in the past! Right now, the Dragon of Earth needs our help! He needs your help!" He lunged forward, grabbing Virgil by the shoulders. "We still have a chance to save him!"

"There IS no saving him!" said Virgil, pushing him away. "He is GONE!"

"He's still alive!"

_**"Well he won't be soon!"** _

"....What do you mean by that?"

Guan and Virgil turned to Kimiko, broken out of their anger by her small, trembling voice. She looked up at them with wet eyes, wide and fearful. The anger in both men's expressions faded away, and Virgil took in a long, deep breath. "....Your friend," he began carefully, turning to face her. "You say he got sent down a week ago?"

She nodded, and Virgil ran a hand over his face. "I usually prefer to lie about these things," he admitted, "But for your sake, I'm going to let you all in on a little secret," He leaned on his staff, looking away. "The world of the dead cannot accept a living soul within its walls. Not for long, anyways. Every second your friend is down there in that realm, his fades...little by little." He waved his hands in the air, and blue-green fire appeared. It shifted around for a while until it began to form the number 13 in bright, fiery script. "Any living soul that finds their way down there has 13 solid days before their life is snuffed out," explained Virgil. "He's already been gone for seven." The numbers began to change, morphing into a 6. "That means he has six days and five nights left. But on the morning of the 14th sunrise, he won't be able to leave." The number shifted into a 5, then a 4, then a 3. "He'll be part of that world, forev-"

"No."

Virgil glanced up at Raimundo's stricken expression, the boy's chest rising. "NO!" he shouted again as he leapt through the foxfire numbers and clutched Virgil by the shirt. "Please. Please, you have to save him!" he begged, his eyes wild. "Bring him back!"

"I don't bring people back, honey," said Virgil gently. "I can't. My job is to support them on one final roadtrip. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Listen up!" snapped Raimundo, pulling Virgil's face close to his. "My friend is down there all alone, and we can't help him, and he doesn't have much time, and you're the only way we can get there and back safely, _**so if you don't turn around and go save him right now, I'll-!"**_

And then, suddenly, Raimundo was holding on to nothing.

He looked around, searching for Virgil, but then he felt the taller man's hands come down on his shoulders. For some reason, calm flooded his senses, overriding his panic and heartbreak from before.

"I'm sorry.," Virgil whispered softly, and Raimundo didn't have to turn around to see that he was being sincere.

Raimundo stood there, his tears beginning to fall into the dirt. Virgil stood back, looking around at Kimiko and Omi's broken expressions. Dojo was turned away, still and silent on the ground. Virgil tugged at his collar. "I should go," he whispered. "Guan." He put his hand on Guan's shoulder and smiled. "It was good to see you again. Thanks...uh....thanks for the food."

"Guan nodded, but did not smile back. Virgil pulled the brim of his hat low over his eyes, and began to walk down the road. "See you later."

Kimiko fell to her knees as she watched him go, beginning to break down as Omi walked over to Raimundo and took his hand. All was quiet. Jack watched as Virgil continued down the road, uncorking his bottle of wine and taking a long, deep drink. "H-hey," he began, "Hey, wait!"

But Virgil didn't turn around.

Something about that seemed to spark something inside of Jack, and he grit his teeth and bolted after Virgil. "Hey get back here!" he shouted, ignoring everyone else's stares as he chased after Virgil. **"I want to make a deal!"**

Virgil froze and turned around, raising an eyebrow. "You want. To make. A deal." 

"That's, that's right," huffed Jack, stopping in front of Virgil and trying to catch his breath. "Whatever you want, it's yours. Money, tech, Wu, whatever," He stood up, holding his hand out. "All you have to do is get me to the Underworld, and it's yours."

Virgil stared at him with an offended look on his face before he bopped him on the head with his staff.

"OW!" cried Jack, rubbing the fresh new bump on his head.

"Hey, Red!" snapped Virgil. "Weren't you listening?! I'm not a demon! I don't make deals! Okay? Now stop embarrassing yourself! You're only prolonging the pain you caused." He brought the bottle up to his lips again. "Nothing you say will ever convince me to break the laws of nature and help you."

"Come on, there's gotta be something you want!" wheedled Jack, falling to his knees. "My family's rich! And I'm the greatest super evil genius in the whole world! I don't care what I have to do, I'll do whatever it takes if it means you'll help me save Clay Bailey's li-!"

But his words were cut off by the sound of Virgil choking on his wine, coughing and staining his shirt red.

Virgil looked over to Jack, his eyes wide with shock, stepping forward. "Wait. _Who'd you say it was?"_

"I, uh, you know, the Dragon of the Ea-"

"Yeah, yeah, Dragon this, Dragon that, blahblahblahblahblah," said Virgil, kneeling down to Jack's level and grabbing him by the collar. "Titles mean nothing to guys like me, a _name_ kid," he said, pulling Jack's face right up to his. _**"Give me his name."**_

"C-Clay!" said Jack, his nose touching Virgil's "Clay Bailey!"

"Clay Bailey?" Virgil blinked, his face lighting up in recognition. "Oldest son of Cliff and Judy Bailey, from that huge ranch out near Rockwood, Texas? Blue eyes, blonde hair, always wearing that hat?" He shot up to his feet, but not before slapping Jack upside his head. _"You sent HIM to the Underworld?!"_

 _ **"You know him?"**_ cried all three remaining Dragons, having walked up to the two of them.

"Yeah, I know him," said Virgil, rubbing his chin. "Nice boy. Good with animals. His family raises cattle for a living. They have for over a hundred years now." he looked down at Jack again, causing the teenager to flinch as he held up the Call of Hades. "What in all the Nine Circles did a sweetheart like him do to be sent to the Underworld with THIS?"

Jack didn't answer, but looked away, choosing instead to set his eyes on a puddle of spilled wine on the road.

"...He didn't do anything, did he?" Virgil crouched down to Jack's level again, eyeing him. "You damned his innocent soul to Hades just because you could, didn't you?"

Jack still did not speak, but the way his eyes moved around nervously at that accusation spoke volumes.

Virgil let out a deep breath, glaring at Jack as he stood up. "...I don't like you, Jack Spicer. Not one bit."

"You do not have to like him, Virgil," said Guan, putting his hand on Virgil's shoulder. "But you must help him. Only the one who used the Call of Hades can rescue the person it was used on. Jack is Clay's only hope."

Virgil's eyes narrowed, and he looked off into the distance. "He deserves better," he answered quietly.

"There is no other way," replied Guan softly.

No one spoke for a long time, as Raimundo, Kimiko, Omi, Dojo and Jack looked at Virgil, waiting for an answer. Then he looked down, groaning miserably. "Mmmmmgghgh."

Guan raised his eyebrow. "Virgil?"

The psychopomp avoided his gaze, with a face like he had just swallowed an entire bottle of cough medicine and was forcing himself to endure the flavor _"Mmmmmmmmmmmgggggghnggghh."_

For the first time that night, Guan's mouth quirked up in a smile. "VIRGIL-"

Virgil began to scratch the sides of his head in frustration, conflicting emotions vibrating off of him in waves. "GAHHHHHHHHHH," he screamed, scaring off a few birds that had landed in the dead tree nearby. _**"OKAY!"**_ He huffed, crossing his arms and pouting. "Okay. I'll help him." He brought his staff down again in his irritation. "But let the record state that I am doing this for _Clay._ " Not you," he said, pointing to Guan, **"Not you,"** he pointed to Jack, "And..." he turned to the Dragons, his frown melting away at the elated, hopeful expressions on their faces. "Well," he admitted, as Omi began to bounce up and down. "Maybe I'll do this for you, too. Just...don't tell my old man about this," he finished, tugging at his collar nervously.

Raimundo pulled the other Dragons into a hug, and was then promptly crushed by Dojo, who had shapeshifted into his large form and coiled around them all in his happiness. Jack could feel himself smiling at the sight, but stopped and looked away with red cheeks as Virgil raised an eyebrow at him. Guan stepped forward and hugged the psychopomp. "Thank you, Virgil," he said. "You are doing a good thing."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," said Virgil, patting him on the back. "Don't thank me yet." He stood back, turning to Jack. "It's gonna be a long, hard journey, and you're going to have to get through it. Remember," he said, wiggling his finger in front of the teenager. "I'm just the guy who shows you where to go."

"S-stop trying to scare me off!" said Jack, stomping his foot. He pointed his thumb at himself, suddenly filled with a fire he didn't know he had as he looked Virgil right in his strange, alien eyes. "I'm Jack Spicer, Evil Boy Genius, and I don't back down from anything!" 

Virgil was silent for a moment, but then he snorted, laughing again. "You're obviously lying," he said, causing Jack's bravado to deflate a little, "But, you've got moxie kid." He nodded approvingly. "I'm into it." He walked closer and held his hand out once more. "Shake on it."

"W-what?" asked Jack awkwardly.

Virgil shook his head and rolled his eyes. "From here on out, we're partners. We made a deal, didn't we?"

"I - we did?"

"Sure looks like it," said Virgil, adjusting his brim. "So shake my hand."

Jack paused, glancing down at the outstretched limb in front of him. Virgil chuckled at the hesitation on his face. "Aww, come on, Red," he said, waving his hand as he leaned forward with a wink. "Won't you shake a _poor sinner's hand?"_

Jack shook his head, but took his hand anyway. "You are so wei- **OW!"**

A sharp pain in his wrist prompted him to look down, and his eyes widened with horror as he saw that two vipers had crawled out of Virgil's sleeve and and begun to wind their way up his arm, biting into him with long, iridescent-blue teeth.

"AAAAAGH!"

Jack scrambled backwards, trying to pry the snakes off of his skin, but suddenly, the world tilted sharply to the left, and he fell onto the ground, landing hard. Or at least he thought he landed hard. For some reason, he didn't feel anything as he hit the dirt. His whole body was heavy, numb, and suddenly very cold. Virgil walked over to him, his eyes glowing bright at the sight of Jack on the ground. "Yessssss....." he whispered, his grin wide and dangerous.

Jack opened his mouth to say something, anything, but nothing came out except a thick white foam.

_**"Jack!"** _

Suddenly, there were other faces around - Raimundo, Kimiko, Omi, and Dojo, all kneeling down and looking him over with scared eyes. Guan was there too, his face pale "What have you done?!" he cried, but Virgil didn't answer, his shoulders moving as he broke out into laughter like wind chimes and church bells, inhuman and terrifying. The only thing that Jack could move were his eyes, but his vision was growing blurry, and he felt himself sinking into something deep and inescapable with each passing second, like a pebble that was slowly falling to the bottom of the sea.

And then his eyes closed, and he felt nothing more.

\--------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \--------
> 
> Songs that inspired this chapter:
> 
> Superstition, by Stevie Wonder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CFuCYNx-1g  
> (aka Virgil's Theme Song)
> 
> Arsonist's Lullaby, by Hozier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eJbxI-jZbA  
> (This is the song Virgil is singing)
> 
> Friends on the Other Side, from The Princess and the Frog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g00kEcGh4j8  
> (This is what the chapter was named for)
> 
> Crossroad Blues, original by Robert Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd60nI4sa9A  
> and also  
> a neat upbeat version by Adam Gussow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeMis-B7f58


End file.
